The Assistant (26 page)

Adrian looked uncomfortable, and I smiled smugly at the fact that our roles were reversed.

“I’ve apologised to you already,” he mumbled.

My eyebrows shot up. “Oh really? And when was this?” I asked, feigning curiosity.

“You know… before… When you were on my lap in the living room and I told you I’d do whatever you want-”

“You didn’t apologise. You only explained that you don’t regret making me move in and offered me something I took advantage of. I want a full-fledged apology – no texts, no re-worded sentences – a proper apology.” I crossed my arms in an attempt to look serious, but ended up looking awkward due to my position lying down.

I watched as Adrian opened and shut his mouth multiple times before giving up and turning back to the other side of the bed so that my back was facing him. I wasn’t going to crack at his inability to apologise until he found the courage to own up to his actions.

I don’t know how many minutes passed as I began to find myself slowly drifting off to sleep. Just before the blackness fully consumed me, I felt Adrian’s familiar arms wrap around my waist and pull me into him again.

“I’m not good with these kinds of things… and this is the third time I’ve ever done it in my lifetime… so, I’m sorry for… I’m sorry for…” Adrian trailed off, and I watched as a deep frown of thought consumed his features in the dimly lit room. “I’m sorry for taking you away from something you worked so hard for, and I hope that you will find a place in your heart to forgive me.”

I stared back at him in shock for a moment before blinking rapidly and nodding in response while processing his words. He sounded genuinely sorry, and I accepted them quietly. “Okay,” I mumbled, smiling a little.

“There you go with the flirting again. This is getting out of hand, Shortcake, if you want me, all you have to do is ask.” Adrian smirked, making me roll my eyes in response once again while trying to hold back a smile. And just like that, Adrian was back.

“Let’s go to sleep for real this time,” I suggested while yawning.

“Okay,” he agreed, “after I get my kiss.”

“You’re an idiot,” I grumbled before placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

“No, no. Not there. I want it on my lips.”

I gave him a flat look in order to cover up my flaming cheeks. “Goodnight, Adrian.”

He chuckled before pulling me into the crook of his neck. “’Night, Shortcake.”

***

“How are we even best friends?!” Amy cried in disbelief, her voice loud over the phone, “I can’t believe you
still
haven’t slept with him!”

“Amy, shut up! ‘She’ and I are sometimes in the same room and I can’t talk about that around ‘her.’” I tried to cover up subtly, briefly glancing over to Adrian to see if he heard Amy’s loud voice from his desk.

Amy laughed before responding. “All the more reason to jump him while you can, Em! Honestly Hun, you’re growing old, and sometimes, the muscles in between your legs need to-”

“THANK YOU FOR YOUR CALL, I WILL SPEAK WITH YOU LATER. GOOD BYE!” I ended the call abruptly while blushing deeply from her words. My eyes widened as I looked at the phone in horror before I looked up to meet Adrian’s amused gaze.

“Are you okay there, Shortcake?” he asked with a smile, obviously enjoying my flushed state.

“Yep, yep. I’m good. Just… you know… business-ing it out and all…” I let out a nervous laugh before growing redder at the realisation of how stupid my words sounded.

Adrian chuckled and got out of his seat, making his way towards my desk. “What did she say? Clearly, it involved me, because you’re refusing to make eye contact with me right now.”

“You? Why would we talk about you? Amy was just telling me about her encounter with an ex-boyfr-”

“No, she wasn’t. You tried to cover up the fact that she was talking about me by saying ‘she’ instead of ‘he’ and looked at me once you finished the sentence and thought I wasn’t looking. I was.” He smirked before lifting me out of my seat and pressing me into his torso.

“I- What? N- No I wasn’t.” I stuttered as I felt my blush increase in colour.

“You’re a really bad liar, Shortcake.” He smirked down at me, and I watched as his eyes briefly flickered to my lips.

I didn’t respond as my own eyes moved down to his lips unconsciously, and I licked my own lips which were suddenly feeling dry.

Adrian let out a throaty growl before I felt his arm push close the space in between us even more than before as he looked down at my lips again.

A knock sounded at the door, breaking the haze Adrian and I were in, and I pushed him away gently, blushing again.

Adrian took a step back and cleared his throat before speaking up. “Come in,” he called out in a raspy voice. My eyes widened in shock when I looked down to his crotch area and found a bulge sticking out of his navy coloured pants.

I rushed and stood in front of him to cover the obvious body part that was sticking out just as Suzie entered the office. My hand accidentally brushed against his area and Adrian let out another groan, making my eyes widen even further.

“I’m not going to be able to do this much longer, Shortcake,” Adrian murmured into my ear before directing his attention back to Suzie. “What is it?”

“Good morning, Mr. Kingston, Emily.” She nodded and smiled in our direction and I smiled and waved in response. Adrian ignored her greeting completely. “Your father suggested that we host a charity gala dinner in order to raise money for our cancer foundation this Saturday. I have already begun the preparations and just need your approval…” She trailed off as she looked at Adrian, then myself, then back at Adrian again. “I’m so sorry if I’ve interrupted anything…”

“No, no!” I reassured her quickly, scrambling for a lie. “You haven’t interrupted anything, Suzie! Adrian and I were just discussing the final marketing plan developed for the hotels in the Australian region.”

Adrian cleared his throat. “Just place the papers on the table in front of you and I will send them back to your office later. Emily, you’re going to be my +1 for the Gala. Mrs. Brown, please make sure everybody knows that, and seat her in between Allen and myself. Is there anything else?”

Suzie looked back and forth between Adrian and me again with uncertainty on her features before clearing her throat. “Did you want the dinner to be themed in any way?”

“No. Just make sure everyone is dressed to a high standard. If that is all, you can leave now.”

“Adrian!” I exclaimed, turning around to him with a frown. “Stop being so rude,” I mumbled, looking up at him with a stern look. He ignored my glare completely, and focused his gaze on my lips again, making me blush.

“Okay, thank you sir,” Suzie called out softly, before we heard the door shut once again.

My blush deepened as I looked away from his intense gaze. “Why am I your +1 this time? Do I even have a choice in the matter?” I asked in an attempt to change the tension in the air.

“No, and because I want you to be,” Adrian snapped. “Anyway, you can’t complain. I’m putting Allen next to you. Having said that, I don’t want anything unnecessary happening between you two.”

I rolled my eyes at his sudden mood swing. “Okay Mr. Bi-Polar.”

“I mean it. And get your weird friend to pick out your dress this time. Rita will do your hair again and I don’t want you wearing a lot of makeup. You already attract too much attention as it is.”

“Yes, Boss,” I said sarcastically, mock-saluting him. “Is there anything else, Boss?”

“Don’t call me boss, Shortcake,” Adrian warned in a low voice, even as a mischievous light glinted in his eye, “or I will not hesitate to kiss you this time.”

I looked up at him with wide eyes and my cheeks began to flame up again at his comment. I cleared my throat to compose myself. “S-Sorry,” I stuttered.

Another event. I did not have a good feeling about this one.

Chapter Nineteen

Dress shopping was probably the worst thing that was ever assigned to the job description of being a girl. Especially when it’s with your psychotic best friend who refuses to let you see the dress that
you’re
going to be wearing.

“Ames, I didn’t come all the way down here just to watch you glare at your laptop,” I said, growing more and more nervous by the second. “Let me see!”

“I’ve already bought it so it can come on time, so you can’t say anything! I actually love it, wow!” Amy grinned to herself, making me laugh.

“May I see it, your royal highness?” I asked sarcastically.

Amy rolled her eyes before passing the laptop over to me. “You’re such a dork. I can’t believe Adrian didn’t let me come over, that’s so unfair! I mean, I know you don’t have a lot of friends, but does he have to reject my amazingness?” Amy exclaimed in disbelief.

“Shut up! And he’s very strict of the whole ‘no human being apart from you and Maria are allowed in my apartment’ thing. Hey, he did offer us a vacant room in the hotel; you just rejected it! Plus, I’m pretty sure that if you were in the same room as him, all you’d be doing is ogling at him like the creep you are.” I grinned, before using the laptop as a defense mechanism against her violent act.

“It’s not my fault he’s hot.” She scowled. I laughed and shook my head before focusing my attention on the screen in front of me – and almost choked on my own saliva.

Amy noticed the barely audible sound and gave me a look of disbelief. “What the hell?! Don’t you dare complain to me, you stupid cow, it’s not tight or revealing and it’s long as fuck! Listen up, you little---”

“It’s perfect,” I murmured, cutting off her insult. It was. For the first time, I actually liked a dress.

“What?” Amy asked, giving me a look of confusion. “Wait, wait. Are you sure you’re looking at the right thing? You’re looking at a dress, right? And you
know
it’s a dress?” she asked cautiously.

I looked away from the blood red garment with a wide grin on my face. “Yes, I know it’s a dress. It’s amazing. I absolutely love it…” I trailed off, looking back at the laptop screen.

Amy suddenly squealed beside me, making me snap out of the haze I was in. “You’re becoming a girl! Finally! I thought you were going to go through menopause before this moment would come!” Amy squealed again, before I felt myself being pulled into a suffocating hug.

I laughed into her shoulder and hugged her back. “Thank you so much, Ames.”

“Do you know how you can thank me? Convince Adrian to let me into the apartment. It’s yours now too, you know,” she pointed out, before a wry smile made its way to her face. “I know exactly how you can convince him as well! It only needs a bed. That’s it. No clothing, no utensils – oh, unless you’re into that kind of stuff. Kinky-”

“AMY, SHUT UP!” I groaned loudly, flushing in mortification.

Amy erupted into a fit of giggles just as I threw a pillow in her direction, making the volume of her laughter increase dramatically.

“I’m leaving,” I glared at her, instantly making her sober up from her laughter. “I’ve already had enough of you and your insults to Chase Crawford and your sex comments that involve Adrian and me.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to use the sex comments in bed? It’s called dirty talk, maybe he’s into that kind of-”

I ran out her apartment and slammed the door before she could finish her sentence. Even from behind it, I could hear the muffled sound of her musical laughter. It echoed in my head even as I walked away and headed back home.

***

“Adrian, where will Rita do my hair today if you don’t let anyone in our apartment?” I asked curiously as I pressed print on one of the files on my laptop.

“
Our
apartment. I love the way you say that.” Adrian smirked, making me blush before he answered, “She’ll do it in a vacant room or here in the office.”

“A room. I want to get ready in
your
apartment,” I emphasized, trying to cover my blush.

Adrian shrugged. “Whatever you want, Shortcake. I’ll cater to your needs; and your weird friend emailed me and told me that we should have sex. I just thought I’d let you know.”

“WHAT?!” I exclaimed, my eyes growing wide as his words registered in my mind fully.

Adrian began chuckling at my discomfort, and I glared at his lame attempt at joking before turning around and snatching the recently printed files out of the printing plate.

A loud banging noise suddenly erupted through the quiet office, and my head snapped over to Adrian’s direction with wide eyes. “What is wrong with you?!”  I exclaimed in shock.

“It’s not working!” Adrian snapped, glaring at me while pointing at the computer screen on his desk.

“Okay, okay! No need to get your panties all bunched up in a twist! Here, let me have a look at it.” I got out of my seat and walked over to where he was standing by his desk. I pressed the power button on the screen before letting out an impatient sigh and turning my head around to meet Adrian’s eyes. “Will you give me some space?” I laughed, pushing him gently into his desk chair.

Adrian smirked. “That was hot. I like it rough.”

“Adrian!” I exclaimed as I felt my face flush in embarrassment at the thought. He chuckled at my response and I threw a pen at him before turning back to the electrical device. I began to inspect the chords thoroughly, before frowning. “Hmm.”

“Hmm indeed. I like this view a lot,” Adrian interjected, making me turn around and glare at him with another red face. He smirked in my direction before indicating for me to continue. I turned back to the computer with an amused grin, before frowning again at the lifeless piece of technology.

Deciding that the monitor and keyboard were fine, I bent down to inspect the hard drive of the device. The chords were all in their correct places, and I bent even further in order to follow the electricity line. “Is it even turned on?” I murmured to myself, trying to find the electric switch.

“Probably not, but I am,” Adrian mumbled, making me squeal in shock and bump my head underneath the desk from his words.

My face began to heat up in embarrassment once again before I found the electric switch and flipped it on before crawling out of my position under the desk. I turned to Adrian with a smug smile but instantly began to blush once I noticed his lustful gaze.

“Shut up,” I mumbled, walking away from him.

Adrian made this impossible however, because I suddenly felt myself being pulled against my will and stumbling onto his lap. “Adrian!” I hissed, casting an anxious look over to the door. “Someone might walk in and get the wrong idea!”

Adrian shrugged before placing a kiss on my cheeks. “Let them. It won’t be ‘the wrong idea’ for long anyway.” He smirked, noticing my increased flushed state from the kiss.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked curiously, biting my lip.

Adrian’s eyes travelled down to the small gesture, and he stared at my mouth absentmindedly before looking back up to meet my eyes. “You’ll find out tonight.” He smirked, before I felt him squeeze my backside. “Now get back to work. On me.”

I let out a small gasp in response and Adrian waggled his eyebrows. “You just did the gasp thing again!” Adrian grinned proudly, making me hit his chest lightly.

“Shut up,” I snapped, trying to get off his lap.

“And where exactly do you think you’re going?” Adrian asked, securing his grip around my waist by tightening his arms. “I told you; you’re working on me.”

“How am I going to work on you, Adrian?” I asked with an exasperated sigh, smiling slightly in amusement.

“Well, you can work on me and do the work for the company
or
you can work on
me,
” Adrian said, raising an eyebrow suggestively before giving a pointed look in his crotch area.

I frowned, trying to get his reference before gasping in shock. “Adrian!” I exclaimed, hitting his chest again.

He chuckled before placing another unexpected peck on my cheek.

“I love the way you scream my name, Shortcake.” He winked, completely oblivious to my mortification.

***

“The nerve he has to make us do your hair in an insignificant room in the hotel,” Rita huffed as she sprayed at my hair to fix it into position. “ After all I’ve done for that man!”

I laughed at her anger towards Adrian, just as Amy came to mind. “You’re not the only one unhappy about that, I can assure you.”

“Yes, well. He’s an idiot. And an asshole. And doesn’t deserve you because you’re perfect, and so is the job I’m doing on your hair so far!” Rita grinned, winking at me in the reflection of the mirror.

I laughed awkwardly before looking down at my lap. “He’s actually not as bad as everyone thinks he is. He’s actually very nice if you sit down and have a conversation with him that doesn’t regard business. He’s caring too; and protective…” I trailed off absentmindedly, before realising that I was standing up for Adrian.

I looked back up at the mirror with wide eyes to see Rita smiling at my reflection knowingly, making me flush in embarrassment. “I think someone has developed a very deep liking towards their boss. You’re a very naughty girl, Emily.” Rita giggled with a wink before she began working on the volume needed for my hair.

“What? N-No I haven’t.” I began blushing even more once her smile grew, and decided to text Adrian:

What time are we leaving?

Rita was almost done with my hair, and I still needed to do my makeup and put my dress on before we could leave. The dress had arrived a few days ago, and I had a mental break down when I noticed the large slit that ran down the almost the entire length of the dress. Amy, of course, told me that this was a good thing because I had the legs to show off in it.

My phone buzzed in my hands, pulling me out of my thoughts.

In an hour. What are you up to?
I think I should help you with putting your dress on.
You know, just so it doesn’t rip or anything. ;)

I rolled my eyes and grinned at the screen before typing my reply:

Almost finished my hair and still need to do my makeup. I think I will need help with that dress though…

Adrian’s reply came through so fast that I had to stifle a giggle:

Are you serious? I don’t care how your hair looks.

Get up here right now.

“Great, sexting in my presence. I’m glad to know how much you enjoy my company.” Rita pouted, making me look up with wide eyes as my face flushed.

“What? I’m not sexting him!” I squeaked in embarrassment. “I was just asking when we were leaving and then he asked me what we were up to and then-”

Rita cut me off with a laugh. “I was joking, Emily! Although, from the way you reacted…” She trailed off, smirking at my reflection.

I looked back in panic before I
realised that she had finished my hair. “Oh my god… It looks amazing.” I breathed, leaning forward in order to inspect it more thoroughly. 

Rita smiled smugly. “I know. The fact that it’s on your head though, makes the style all the better.” She smiled as she began to pack her products.

I laughed and flushed slightly before pulling her into a hug.

“Thank you so much.”

“How many times do I need to tell you? You don’t need to thank me, it’s my job!” Rita laughed as she slung the bag of products onto her shoulder. “Anyway, I’m going to run off and let you get ready. You tell Adrian I am absolutely disappointed in him for not letting me come to your apartment, and try not to have too much fun with him when you get up there, okay? I don’t want you to ruin your hair.” She winked, and instantly began laughing once my eyes turned wide with shock. “I’m kidding. Love you!” she called out, before walking down the hall to the lobby of the hotel.