Prologue


  


  


  


He was tall.


  


At about 6’1”, he towered over my 5’4” height and made me feel shorter than I usually did.


  


I watched as yet another female walked out of his office, looking flustered and flushed with embarrassment as she readjusted her business skirt.


  


“Ms. Johnson?” An old lady wearing a pink plaid jacket called out, pushing her[b]Prologue


  


  


  


He was tall.


  


At about 6’1”, he towered over my 5’4” height and made me feel shorter than I usually did.


  


I watched as yet another female walked out of his office, looking flustered and flushed with embarrassment as she readjusted her business skirt.


  


“Ms. Johnson?” An old lady wearing a pink plaid jacket called out, pushing her[/b]Prologue


  


  


  


He was tall.


  


At about 6’1”, he towered over my 5’4” height and made me feel shorter than I usually did.


  


I watched as yet another female walked out of his office, looking flustered and flushed with embarrassment as she readjusted her business skirt.


  


“Ms. Johnson?” An old lady wearing a pink plaid jacket called out, pushing her the job!” I squealed, grinning at the blank television screen in my apartment.


  


More squealing erupted from the speaker of my iPhone and I felt my hand automatically move the phone away in order to keep my hearing intact. Once she was done, I placed the phone back on my ear. “Thank you.” I laughed as I heard her catch her breath.


  


“We have to celebrate tonight! I’ll call Molly and Claire! We’ll go down to-” Her voice got cut off by a soft beep and I frowned and looked at my phone. An unsaved number blinked in my face, signaling that there was someone on the other line. “Sorry Amy, there’s someone else on the line and I don’t have their number saved. We’ll definitely go out to celebrate! Text me the details, okay? Bye!” I quickly hung up and pressed the green button to answer the other call. “Hello?” “Ms. Johnson, I need you to come in to the office immediately.” It was unmistakably Adrian Kingston’s deep, British voice. My eyes widened in shock. “There is some paperwork here that we need to sort through together and it needs to be sent in by tonight. I expect you’ll be here in less than half an hour?”


  


“Sir, I live a good 20 minutes away from the office. It’ll take me a little longer than half an hour to get there.” I stuttered nervously. A night call already? I still didn’t even know the location to my office properly!


  


“If you stopped complaining over the phone and got moving, it wouldn’t take long at all,” he snapped. “I’ll see you in half an hour.” The line went dead. I detached the phone from my ear and stared uncomprehendingly at the blank screen, before shaking out of my daze and rushing back to my bedroom to get dressed for work.


  


I called Amy as I pulled out my white business shirt and black pencil skirt and thrashed my pajama bottoms off. Amy answered on the first ring. “Hey! I just confirmed with the girls, they’re up for it!” she said excitedly.


  


I groaned as I stubbed my toe on the corner of my bed before zipping up my pencil skirt and tucking the shirt in neatly. “Ames, I’m so sorry. He’s already called me in to fill out some paperwork that needed to be mailed by tonight, apparently. I’m so sorry, raincheck?” I asked as I pulled my semi-dry hair into a sleek pony tail and applying a coat of light pink lipstick. Thank god I had natural ringlets that didn’t frizz after every shower I had.

“Already? Damn girl, you’re going to have your work cut out for you! Don’t apologise, it was your celebration drink, you banana!” She laughed, before gasping. “You better be wearing sexy lingerie! Late nights alone in the office with a sex god? I think I can predict what’s going to happen.” I could practically feel Amy wink as I rolled my eyes and put my black pumps on and grabbed the bag I prepared once I got home.

  
Amy, get your mind out of the gutter,” I joked. “Anyway, I have to go. He expects me to be there in less than half an hour. I’m so sorry for cancelling on you girls. I’ll make it up to you guys, I promise!


 Amy scoffed. “Shut up! You’re putting the blame on yourself as if you don’t have a good enough reason to be cancelling! Say hi to the sexy beast for me, will you? I’ll let you go now because you’ve just wasted 5 minutes talking to me.”

“I’m a woman. Multi-tasking is in our blood,” I laughed. “I’m leaving my apartment now. Love you!!
  

We both disconnected the phone and I made my way to call the nearest cab.

This is how it all began.

Welcome on board this is another journey hope u guys enjoy it. Shalom!!!!

Following... let the story begin wait! wait!! wait!!! I haven't ordered for popcorn with milkshake yet

Good start, well-done Op.

I think I saw something like this on Anybooks.
is this your work? Awesome.

Following

Ann you are here already...You no dey dull ooo



OP carry on

Jentle244:
Ann you are here already...You no dey dull ooo

I full ground

Chapter One

“Hi, excuse me. I’m so sorry. I’m looking for…” I squinted at the scrunched piece of paper in my hand, trying to make out Suzie’s cursive writing. “I can’t tell if it’s Alien or Allen?” I laughed awkwardly as I felt my cheeks redden.

The Starbucks employee giggled. “It’s definitely Alien. You should see his face.” She winked. “Are you the new assistant for Adrian Kingston? You are so lucky. He’s literally the hottest male on this planet! I’ll get Allen for you. He’ll make Adrian’s usual quicker than you can blink! For your benefit, of course.” The teenager giggled again, and I found myself smiling at her bubbly personality. “Thank you,” I told her gratefully. “Can I also get a latté with two sugars, please?”

“Of course! I’ll brew it myself! I’m a mean latté making machine!” the girl declared with a battle cry.


“Lisa, are you making customers uncomfortable again?” A male voice sounded from behind a wall, causing Lisa to run off to the coffee machine and start on my coffee.


“What? Of course not, Allen! I bring the customers in with my charm. It’s your face that makes them uncomfortable.” Lisa laughed at her own joke and I couldn’t help but let out a small giggle as well. “By the way, Adrian’s new assistant is here! She needs his usual – STAT!” “Can you at least try to remember that I’m the one in charge of this place?” Allen’s voice was much clearer now, as he walked out of a back room while tying an apron around his waist. I caught his eye and his eyebrows instantly shot up in surprise as he gave me a once over. “You’re his new assistant? You look way too smart to consider going for that position.”


  


I frowned. “What’s wrong with ‘that position’ exactly? I’m perfectly qualified for the job.” I said angrily.


  


Allen put his hands up as a gesture of defense, and his blue eyes looked at me in amusement. “He picked a sexy and feisty one this time. Maybe you’ll last longer than the last one did. I hope you do. You’re pretty interesting.” He smiled at my attitude in approval. My anger was replaced by confusion. “Um… thank you?” I asked, unsure of how to respond.


  


“No problem. What’s your name?” he asked as he mixed milk into a large coffee cup.


  


“Emily Johnson, it’s nice to meet you.” I said, running a hand down the length of my skirt to straighten it out.


  


“You know she called you Alien when she first walked in here?” Lisa said, laughing as she came up to the counter and handed me my drink. “I mean, I see why. You’re absolutely hideous so I don’t really blame her.” Lisa winked at me cheekily before she ducked down to avoid a swat to the head from Allen.


  


I looked between them both with wide eyes – partly because I was mortified that she had told him I said that and partly because Allen was about to hit a 17-year-old girl. Lisa must’ve recognised my look before she burst into a fit of laughter again. “Calm down! He’s my older brother!” she explained while punching him on his right arm.


  


“Oh…” I trailed off awkwardly as I felt my cheeks begin to burn again.


  


Allen looked up at me and smiled before he handed over the large cup of coffee over the counter. “Thank you. How much is that all together?” I asked, directing the question at no one in particular as I scanned the price board on top of their heads.


  


“Don’t worry about it,” Allen said, a slight smirk forming on his lips. “This one’s on me – uh, us – think of it as a good luck present for working for him.”


  


I laughed. “Working for him can’t be that bad.”


  


“He’s my best friend. I think I know him well enough to know that you’ll have to put up with his bitch fit moods and the countless female strangers he’ll invite into his office everyday while you do his boring work. I give you my condolences!” Allen laughed as I bit my lip and frowned in thought.


  


“Stop trying to talk me into hating my job already!” I scolded with a smile on my face.


  


“Trust me shortcake, I don’t need to. I’ll give you a week. Now you better start running back. You’re pretty late.” I looked over at the clock above the door and let out a shocked squeak. “Thank you for the coffee!” I screamed as I rushed out the door. I faintly heard Lisa and Allen laughing before the shop was out of ear shot.


  


***


  


“Emily. How are you dear?” Suzie asked as I placed Adrian’s coffee on his desk and placed the paperwork he had given me yesterday in a neat pile beside it.


  


“I’m good, thank you. How are you? Did Richard like the shoes you bought him?” I smiled as I walked over to her and gave her a hug. She smelled of lavender and roses.


  


“He loved them! I knew he would; any pair of shoes that is the colour brown automatically becomes his favourite pair.” She smiled and shook her head at her husband’s behaviour and I grinned. Suzie had told me she and her husband had met while she was writing down notes on what was important and what was unimportant to Adrian. He was her manager at the supermarket she worked at and used to pick on her all the time. Eventually, like all teenagers, they fell in love and have been happily married 38 years.


  


“Are you sure you’re not tired, sweetie?” she asked in worry. “I know Adrian called you in last night. How long did you two stay here for?”


  


As if my body was trying to answer for me, a yawn escaped before I could prevent it from happening. “I think until 11:45PM. I got home at about 12:30AM though, so it wasn’t so bad. Plus, I have a yummy latté to help me get through the day.” I grinned as I held up my coffee cup.


  


Suzie was about to reply but a voice beat her to it. “Ladies. I wasn’t aware that my office had become a gossip site for you two to be hanging around in it.” We both turned to find Adrian at the door with a hard expression on his face – and I gulped.


  


Great work, Emily. Day 2 and you’re already going to be fired. Allen and Lisa would love to hear this…


  


I cleared my throat. “Mr. Kingston. Good morning. Suzie and I were just making sure everything was in order for when you arrived, sir. I finished all the paperwork you gave me yesterday and your coffee is here, as you requested. Would you like us to do anything before we leave?” I asked, hoping to cover up for Suzie and myself. “Suzie can leave. You stay with me,” he ordered, moving aside as Suzie scurried out of the office.


  


“Uh, have I done something wrong?” I asked nervously once Suzie shut the door behind her. He ignored my question and took his seat in front of his desk while reaching for the coffee and taking a sip. I started to pick at my nail in anticipation as I waited for his response – or any sort of interaction for that matter.


  


“Sit down, Emily,” he muttered as he typed something into his Mac computer. Okay, he used my first name. This can’t be good.


  


I sat down on the exact same chair I was interviewed in yesterday and instantly began blushing from the mental images that began to resurface in my head. “Am I being fired?” I blurted unintentionally, letting my nerves get the better of me.


  


Adrian looked away from the computer screen in front of him to meet my eyes and raise an eyebrow, as an amused smirk formed on his features. “No, Ms. Johnson, you are not being fired. We have business to discuss.” He turned back to the computer screen and typed something.


  


I felt my shoulders sag in relief as the tension in my body released itself at the mention of my job still being in-tact. I began to play with a lock of hair as I waited quietly for Adrian to explain why I was here, and found myself growing bored and impatient rapidly. After a few more minutes, I looked up with a frown as an impatient sigh escaped my lips – only to find Adrian smirking in my direction. “What?” I asked in confusion.


  


“Are you done observing the same strand of hair so we can begin or do I need to give you more time because you might have missed a spot to look at?” he asked flatly, as I dropped my hair back onto my shoulders.


  


“I was waiting for you to finish what you were doing on the computer!” I exclaimed in disbelief, before quickly adding, “Sir.”


  


“I don’t really care. I require your full attention at all times. We have a business dinner to attend this Saturday. It’s a black and white dress code and I expect you to be ready and here in my office by 7:45PM sharp. If you’re even 35 seconds late, you’re fired. I don’t know who I’m taking as my +1 yet, so don’t make that official. If worse comes to worst, I’ll just use you. Also, cancel my entire morning schedule, I have-” Adrian was cut off by his office door slamming open. The sound of jingling bracelets and the clacking of heels suddenly dominated the otherwise quiet room.


  


I turned around to find a tall blonde in a neon orange shirt and white mini skirt parade into the office while adjusting the copious amount of jewelry on her arm. I turned back to Adrian in confusion as he cleared his throat. “I have business to attend to. You can leave now.”


  


I nodded and turned to leave as the blonde rushed passed me and threw herself at Adrian. “Hey babyyyyyyy.” She dragged on the word before crashing her lips onto his. My eyes widened in shock as I quickened my pace and left the office in shock. Suzie walked by just as I shut the door behind me, a flabbergasted expression undoubtedly on my face. She began laughing. “Let me guess, you have to cancel his morning schedule?”


  


I stiffly walked back to my office – dumbfounded by how the random blonde attacked Adrian’s face. “How did you know?” I asked.


  


“He does this when he’s pissed off over something or – in a very rare case which has only happened twice out of the 15 years I’ve been working here – there was a girl he couldn’t get so he deals with his anger by doing… girls.” Suzie cleared her throat awkwardly.


  


I scrunched my nose in disapproval. “That cannot be healthy.” She shrugged her shoulders. “We’re all used to it. Every female in this office – except for myself, of course – has been in that office with Adrian for a reason other than discussing business matters. Don’t be surprised when you find about five other girls parade in there throughout the morning.”


  


I frowned in disapproval as Suzie placed a file on my desk and walked away humming an unfamiliar tune. About 15 minutes went by before a knock at my door interrupted me from sorting out the files left on my desk. I looked up to find a woman dressed similarly to me – a pencil skirt and business shirt – smiling.


  


“Hi! Is Adrian busy?” She asked, cocking her head to the side as she waited for an answer. My mind blanked temporarily. What was I meant to say if someone asked for him? “Uh… I’m afraid so. He’s in a meeting at the moment.” I lied, smiling back.


  


The girl laughed loudly and sat on my desk, knocking a cup of pens over. I frowned at the mess then looked back up at her. “I know he’s having sex. I’m next in line! I just wanted to know if he was done yet.” She winked, making my eyebrows shoot up in shock.


  


“Do you work here?” I asked curiously as I gathered my pens and put them back in the cup.


  


She got off my desk and I put the cup back its original position before looking back up at her to find her nodding her head vigorously. “Yup! I’m Anna! Marketing department.” She giggled and pretended to snap photos of me with her fingers.


  


“Oh… I’m Emily. It’s nice to meet you, Anna.” I smiled, still trying to process the fact that she was waiting for Adrian to have sex with her.


  


“Likewise! Congratulations on getting the job, by the way! Have you been in his office yet?” She winked again as she fixed her hair in the reflective glass surface of the window.


  


“Yes? Countless times. He called me in last night as well because we had to finish-”


  


“YOU’VE BEEN WITH HIM AT NIGHT? FINISH?! HE DIDN’T FINISH WITH YOU? WHY? OH MY GOD! I NEED TO TELL MARY AND NOELLE RIGHT NOW!” Anna exclaimed, rushing to fix her hair. “Wait, what are you going on about?” I asked in frantic confusion.


  


Anna turned to me with wide eyes. “You’ve been invited at night and had sex with him and you didn’t finish? How was he?! I bet he rocked your world! I need to go tell the girls right away! They’ll want to meet-”


  


“WAIT! I did not have… it with him! We had to finish some files that needed to be mailed by last night!” I explained, my cheeks going scarlet. Anna’s excited expression dropped to one of blankness as she stared back at me.


  


“Oh,” she stated, before her eyes went wide again. “Wait a minute. He’s Adrian Kingston. He could pay anyone off if he was late to send something in and there would be no trouble. He totally wanted to get your pants! Okay, tell me exactly what happened last night. From the moment you got called in until you left!” Anna sat back on my desk and tipped the same cup of pens over. Again.


  


I frowned. I hadn’t even told Amy anything regarding last night – and she was abusing me via text message every 10 minutes – let alone will I tell someone who I’ve known for less than 5 minutes. I opened my mouth to tell her just that but Adrian’s office door suddenly opened, and the blonde whose hair was straight and tamed when she arrived, stepped out of the office with smudged lipstick, messy hair and a flustered look as she stumbled to put the other pair of her heels onto her foot. She waved into the office before strolling down the hallway and disappearing out of our sight.

Anna jumped off my desk excitedly.

“That’s my cue! I’ll see you later, Emily!” She giggled and waved before entering his office and shutting the door behind her.


  


And the process repeated itself throughout the entire morning. I met 4 other girls that worked in the building and two random girls who were asking where his office was. By the time my lunch break came, I was ready to zoom out of my office before the phone went off. I sighed before answering it. “Mr. Kingston’s office, how may I help you?” I asked, getting a pen and paper ready.


  


“Ms. Johnson, come into my office.” Adrian’s hoarse voice sounded through the speaker before the line went dead.


  


I let out a frustrated sigh as my mind made the image of a burger and chips from across the road appear, reminding me that it was my lunch break. I entered Adrian’s office to find him fixing a tie around his neck. If he heard me enter, he didn’t show it as he straightened the tie in the picture that was coming up from the webcam.


  


“Are you ready?” he asked after a few moments.


  


“Ready?” I repeated in confusion.


  


“To go out for lunch,” he stated flatly, as if he had told me previously.


  


“Together?”


  


“No Emily, with my desk chair. Get your things, the car is already waiting for us downstairs. I’ll meet you at the elevator.” He brushed past me on his way out the door. The smell of his cologne lingered in the air as I made my way back to my office to grab my phone and bag before dashing back out to catch up to him.


  


“Took you long enough,” he scoffed once I arrived.


  


I looked at him in disbelief. “I wasn’t even two seconds!” I exclaimed.


  


He ignored my response and walked into the elevator and pressed the ground floor button. The elevator dinged and the doors were starting to close as I let out a squeak and hurriedly stumbled inside. To my deep embarrassment, I landed on Adrian as the doors closed completely. His arm wrapped around my waist and he steadied me as my cheeks began to warm up and change colour. “Sorry.” I mumbled, looking away.


  


His arm was still tightly clinging to my waist. I felt him chuckle and pull me closer to his chest. “Are you ordinarily this clumsy and hot around people? Or do I have this effect on you?” He whispered the question into my ear, making my blush deepen.


  


“I- um- I’m naturally clumsy,” I stuttered, trying to pull away. His grip got tighter and I looked up to find him smirking down at me.


  


“You know,” he said while tracing patterns on my back, “Anna told me something today.”


  


“Mmm. What did she tell you?” I replied as his hands moved to my lower back, making my eyelids flutter closed. “She feels threatened by you. So do the others. They think that I’m going to start using you over them.”


  


My eyes snapped open at that, and I moved away from him – catching him off guard.


  


“What did you tell her?” I asked, frowning.


  


He smirked. “I told her not to worry. When I do get you to sleep with me – and I will – and you come back for more, I’ll treat you like I treat the rest of them.”


  


I scowled. “Wow. You really know how to make a girl feel special. No wonder they’re all falling at your feet.” The elevator door opened and I straightened my skirt before walking off without him. “Emily!” Adrian called out. I could hear his footsteps catch up to mine as I exited the building but chose to ignore them and walk faster. “You’re having lunch with me,” he stated once he had fallen into step with me, lightly grabbing my upper arm to stop me from walking.


  


“There you go again! Thinking you have everyone eating out of the palm of your hand! You didn’t invite me to have lunch with you to begin with. You just threw it at my face and expected me to obey like some sort of slave. Then you go and – and say all that rude stuff in the elevator and expect me to-”


  


“Shut up and get in the car,” Adrian said with a bored expression. “I’m hungry.”


  


I gawked in disbelief at his attitude. “No. I’m going to eat across the road alone and get back before my lunch break is over and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” I folded my arms stubbornly.


  


“I’ll fire you,” he smirked.


  


My folded arms dropped to my sides and my eyes widened in shock. Over not having lunch with him?! “On what grounds?! That’s blackmail!”


  


“You’re disobeying your Boss’s orders. I’m pretty sure I can fire you for that.”


  


“You can’t do that! It’s my lunch break and – Ah! What are you doing?!” I squeaked as he wrapped his arms around my waist and threw me over his shoulder as if I weighed nothing.


  


“I’m taking you to the car since you couldn’t do so yourself.” “This is kidnapping! You’re taking me somewhere against my will. Put me down!” I pounded my fists repeatedly on his back. If my assault towards his back affected him in any way – he didn’t show it. When we got to the car, he threw me onto the leather seats and slid in gracefully after me.


  


I glared at him before turning away and crossing my arms over my chest stubbornly.


  


“Emily.”


  


I continued to ignore him as I felt him slide closer to me as the driver started the car. His hand leaned across my torso and I whipped my head to see the smirk plastered firmly on his lips as he leaned forward, our noses almost touching.


  


After a few more moments, I heard a muted zipping noise fill the silence within the car before I felt a light weight being pressed against my body. Adrian clicked the seatbelt into place before smirking and pecking my cheek.

“I need my assistant to stay safe at all times,” he said, before slowly moving back to his seat and clicking away at his phone. I bit my lip and frowned at him curiously. Why was he being so nice?

“Where are we going?” I asked after a while.

“To eat,” he replied bluntly, still tapping at his phone.

“Really? I thought we were going to a circus!” I exclaimed sarcastically. He stopped looking at his phone to meet my eyes and glare, before looking back down. I rolled me eyes and looked out the window and sighed. That lasted long. I thought to myself as silence consumed the car.

***

“Mr. Kingston. I can’t even afford to use the bathroom in this place,” I muttered in awe once the driver dropped us off. I should’ve expected it – Adrian Kingston bringing me to a five-star restaurant where a glass of tap water was worth $30.



“Why do you care?” Adrian frowned. “I’m the one paying. And call me Adrian outside of the office. Mr. Kingston is my father.” He took my hand in his and led me inside.


I looked down at my plain grey business skirt and white shirt and grimaced. These clothes were nowhere near good enough to be in if I was eating in this place. My hair was down in no-frills curls as well. I sighed and kept my gaze on my feet as the waiter led us to a private booth at the end of the restaurant.


I could feel people – women in particular – glaring at me like I was something unwanted stuck to their shoe.

“What’s wrong?” Adrian asked once we were seated.

“I’m just not very comfortable eating here,” I muttered, glancing back at the people occupying tables within the restaurant. Adrian must’ve noticed my brief glance, because I turned around to find him glaring at the women throwing daggers in our direction. “Ignore them. They think they’re on top of the world because they have a bank account that’s full. It’s not as full as mine, so you don’t need to worry.” He reassured me before opening up the leather menus that were placed in front of us.

I opened my copy and scanned over the menu briefly. The writing was in gold and carved against the leather in a cursive font. “Won’t I get in trouble for going over my half an hour break?” I asked as I scanned the seafood section, cringing at the price of the caviar.

“I’m your boss,” Adrian murmured distractedly, preferring to concentrate on the menu. “You’re with me, so of course you’re not going to get into trouble.
  

“Oh, right,” I laughed. “Sorry, I forgot for a moment. So is there a particular reason as to why we’re here?” I asked curiously as my eyes landed on a burger in the menu and I grinned. I looked up when Adrian didn’t reply and found him smirking at me.


“I take it you’ve found your order?” he chuckled, and I felt my cheeks warm up and the grin slowly start to slip off my face.


I nodded briefly and looked down at the table, waiting for my blush to fade.


“I want to discuss what you’re wearing to the event on Saturday. There’ll be a lot of press there, so I expect it to be something brand-named. I’ve put $2,000 in your account for you to find something decent. Remember,” he said as he called the waiter over, “its black and white themed.” My eyes widened in shock. I was still stuck on $2,000. I found myself repeating the figure in a hushed tone, feeling completely gobsmacked.


Adrian’s eyes met my widened ones and he raised an eyebrow. “Is it not enough? That’s fine. I’ll add another-”


“No! No. It’s plenty! That’s practically what I used to earn a year!” I exclaimed in shock. Adrian replied by giving me a confused look before telling his order to the waiter, then fell silent as I did the same.


“Please don’t freak out at everything we talk about from now on. Now, I’ll get someone to do your hair so you’re not late…” He launched into his expectations for the night, and I found myself listening intently, laughing at the occasional jokes he made and scoffing at the inappropriate comments he made about my body as we ate our lunch.


Maybe Adrian Kingston wasn’t such a bad guy, after all.

Chapter Two


  


  


  


“Stop gawking and help me find a dress!” I hissed as I thrust the laptop into Amy’s lap.


  


My best friend, who was sitting on the sofa crossed-legged, was just as dumbstruck as I was the first time I learned about the generous amount of money Adrian had given me for the event on Saturday.


  


“Let me get this straight,” she stated, setting the laptop aside as she wriggled into a more comfortable position, “He gave you $2,000 to buy a dress that you’re only going to wear on that one night because he doesn’t want you repeating any outfits, then decided to add another $1,000 so you can buy shoes to match? And he paid for your $140 burger? Why are you not as freaked out as I am about this? Compared to him, I’m like – like – like plankton to a whale!” She finished her statement with flailing arms, then sagged shoulders and a pout.


  


I raised an eyebrow at her. “Are you calling him fat?”


  


Amy’s blue orbs widened even further as she grabbed the laptop and rapidly typed something in. After a few seconds, she thrust the laptop in my face. “DOES IT LOOK LIKE I’M CALLING THIS WALKING SEX SYMBOL FAT?!” she screeched as my eyes landed on a shirtless photo of my Boss on the cover of GQ Magazine. My eyes widened and I closed the tab and grimaced. “Don’t show me photos of him shirtless,” I grumbled.


  


Amy smirked as she snatched the laptop back from me. “Oooo! Is someone developing a cruuuuuuush?” she teased, before ducking her head and laughing as she narrowly missed the pillow I threw in her direction.


  


I glared. “No. I just know how he uses his appeal – that’s all.” I shuddered as I mentally counted how many girls walked into his office this morning. “Honestly Ames, they come parading in like he’s the stem to their flower!” I exclaimed with wide eyes.


  


Amy gave me a blank look before bursting into a full fit of laughter, once again putting the laptop aside to smack her thigh multiple times and rock backwards and forwards. I frowned. “What? What happened?” I asked in confusion, frowning at her.


  


“’Stem to their flower’! Em! He does actually have a stem.” She pointed down to her crotch area and winked, “And us lovely women like to refer to our goods as flowers.” She pointed to her crotch area again.


  


I frowned. “I’ve never heard of that reference before. You need to meet a guy, like right away.” I reached for the laptop and placed it on her lap once again. “Now help me!” I demanded.


  


She laughed, waving me off. “Relax, I’ve got this. Go make us both a cup of hot chocolate.”


  


“Sure, marshmallows this time or are you ‘watching your weight’ again?” I laughed, remembering the last time Amy had tried to eat healthy – it didn’t last long – she broke as soon as she saw a chocolate bar in my fridge.


  


“HA-HA.” Amy glared, trying to fight a smile. “Stuff so much in that I won’t even be able to drink the hot chocolate! And it’s black and white themed, right? And he said he wanted the dress to be brand-named? God, he sure is picky for a man. That doesn’t matter though – he’s still as hot as hell.” Amy laughed, winking in my direction.


  


I rolled my eyes and ignored her as I lazily strolled into my kitchen and took the ingredients out to make my famous hot chocolate. As I was mixing the milk, I heard Amy gasp from the other room. “EMILY! IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH MONEY LEFT OVER, CAN I PLEASE BUY A DRESS TOO?”


  


I laughed before answering. “Of course you can, Ames!” I called out. “It’ll be like a personal thank you gift from Adrian himself.” I tipped the mini marshmallows into Amy’s mug before starting on mine.


  


Amy didn’t reply, and I took it as a sign of satisfaction before my best friend’s body came stumbling into the kitchen with widened eyes. “Did you just call him Adrian? As in you’re-on-a-first-name-basis-with-the-hottest-person-living-Adrian? How did you manage to leave that part out when you were telling me everything that happened?!” She slapped my arm as punishment for this apparent transgression.


  


“Hey!” I squeaked, rubbing the spot as she frowned at me and took her mug. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know saying his first name would be such a big deal. Plus, you kept referring to him as ‘sexy pants’!” I argued, continuing to mix my chocolate into the milk.


  


“Um, Hello? Breathing is a big deal! So obviously his name is too! I don’t know what to do with you anymore.” She muttered other things to herself that I couldn’t understand, as she exited the kitchen while plopping marshmallows into her mouth.


  


I raised an eyebrow and shook my head at her uniqueness as I put a spoonful of marshmallows into my own hot chocolate and following her out. Amy and I had been best friends since Junior year, when I came to high school as a transfer student from Vermont. We clicked instantly, obsessing over Harry Potter like our lives were dependent on it. We had both made it to NYU after graduation – where we started our degrees in business and teaching – and stayed attached at the hip the entire time.


  


I smiled at her ‘concentration face’ as she sipped her hot chocolate and scrolled through the dresses revealed on the bright screen thoughtfully. “I think I’m going to go for Chanel or Hervé Léger,” she mumbled to herself before swiftly typing it into the search engine. “That’s always the safest option to begin a successful career in.”


  


After what felt like hours (to me), Amy let out a startling yelp. “This is it! I don’t care what you and your uptight morals or your sexy boss say; you’re wearing this dress Saturday night.” Amy gave me a look I was all too familiar with – her eyebrow was slightly raised and her lips were set in a thin line – that’s when I knew that there was no room for arguments. “Show me.”


  


Amy passed over the laptop as she took another sip of her hot chocolate and observed my expression – no doubt waiting to see my reaction. I studied the dress – it was a plain black bandage dress that had a V shaped neckline and enough material to cover my shoulders.


  


“You can wear it with the peep-toe Louboutin’s we bought you last year,” she explained, taking another sip of her drink. “And we can put your hair up in a high bun or in a nice side hairstyle.”


  


I looked at the dress again in doubt. It looked awfully fitting to the body…


  


“Don’t you dare tell me it looks too tight, Emily Hannah Johnson, or so help me I will email an image to your boss pretending to be you and asking for his approval of the dress. You have the perfect body shape for it!” Amy gestured at my chest area like that was enough to prove her point.


  


“Ames…”


  


“You’re not finishing that sentence!” she snapped, snatching the laptop from me and doing something with a stern expression on her face.


  


“What are you do-”


  


“WHOOPS,” Amy grinned. “I accidentally pressed buy!” She pretended to gasp. “Oh no! What will you do now?!” She asked in a mock- dramatic tone. My eyes widened in shock before I glared at her and put my hot chocolate down. “Amy! Why would you do that?! What if he doesn’t deem it worthy enough for the event? That’s – how much was it?” I asked curiously, cutting myself off.


  


“$1,345.” Amy answered, looking both smug and amused.


  


“Oh. That’s $1,345 gone! Wait, what? $1,345?! And you bought it? Are you crazy?” I screeched, my eyes growing wider than before.


  


“Emily, chill! I did my research while you were making our hot chocolates; his other assistants used to wear much tighter dresses then what this will be on you. They were much shorter and much more revealing too.” Amy frowned, recalling the images she had seen.


  


“In case you missed a little physical difference between them and me – they’re tall, slim, runway models and I’m a short, curvy geek!” I wailed, giving up and slumping on the couch in defeat.


  


Amy rolled her eyes. “Shut up. That’s all the more reason for you to wear the dress. Your hourglass figure will make that dress look a million dollars more than its actual pricing. You’re also going to wear red lipstick-”


  


“The theme is black and-”


  


“To match the bottom of your Louboutin’s. I don’t care if the colour scheme was fucking purple. You wear what I tell you to wear.” Amy glared, before gulping the rest of her hot chocolate down.


  


“This is why I don’t ask you for help in this department,” I mumbled, bringing my own cup to my lips and taking another sip.


  


“What was that?” she asked, raising both eyebrows at me.


  


I grinned. “I said… I love having you around my apartment?” I tried, before giggling and giving away my lie.


  


Amy laughed and launched a pillow at me that I caught clumsily, grinning again before using it as a shield. “I’m leaving now. It’s getting late and I don’t want you to look tired in front of Mr. Sexy tomorrow.” She winked.


  


“Do you just want to stay over? It’s way too late to go home now.” I frowned in worry as I watched her get off the couch and grab her hand bag.


  


“Nah. A toughie like me? I’ll be fine.” She grinned, pulling me in for a quick hug.


  


My frown deepened. “Are you sure?”


  


“Yes! Now let me leave, woman! Jeez, you have serious attachment issues.” Amy’s joke made me roll my eyes.


  


“Just make sure you text me as soon as you enter your house, okay?” I gave her a stern look as she opened the door to my apartment.


  


“Okay, mother.” She waved before shutting the door behind her, and I faintly heard her footsteps echo throughout the stairwell of my apartment building.


  


I sighed as I picked up the pillows and placed them back into their original positions on the couch before collecting our used mugs. I put them in the kitchen sink and washed them. As I re-entered the living room, my phone buzzed. Frowning curiously, I unlocked it to find a text message. Amy? I thought to myself as I picked up the laptop and walked to my bedroom.


  


I clicked the green box to find a message from Adrian Kingston:


  


What are you doing?


  


My eyebrows shot up in surprise as I placed my laptop on my desk and took off my sweatpants. It was past midnight; surely he wouldn’t be calling me in to go to work now, would he? I decided to reply after I took off my bra and got into bed.


  


Just getting ready for bed. Why?


  


I pressed the send button and got under the covers comfortably before my phone buzzed in my hand.


  


I pressed on the message icon again and his name appeared:


  


Just curious. What are you wearing?


  


I rolled my eyes and typed a quick goodnight before sending it, ignoring his attempt at flirting. Not even 30 seconds later, my phone buzzed again.


  


Ok fine. Be at the office at 7:30AM tomorrow.
We have an important meeting to attend too. Don’t be late.


  


I groaned into my pillow and threw my phone onto the bedside table in frustration. Was this life’s sick joke? A form of payback just because I spent a couple of hours having fun with my best friend?! I grabbed my phone to readjust my alarm clocks, to find another message from Adrian:


  


If you are late, I’ll have to punish you.


  


My eyes widened as I typed a reply.


  


Will you fire me?


  


I sent the message and bit my lip in anticipation as I went back to adjusting my alarms. As soon as I was done, my phone buzzed.


  


I was thinking a different kind of punishment.
One involving less clothing.


  


I frowned at the message curiously for a moment before the meaning behind it registered in my brain and I rolled my eyes.


  


I’ll make sure to be extra early then.


Goodnight, Adrian.


  


I yawned and was about to put my phone down when it buzzed again, twice. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I clicked on the message icon to find a message from Amy telling me she was kidnapped on the way home but that her kidnapper miraculously let her text me. I was far less thrilled at the second message, which was another reply from Adrian:


  


You’re no fun.


  


I ignored Adrian’s text and decided to reply to Amy’s:


  


I take it you’ve arrived safely. Good. I’ve got a devil of a Boss making me be at work
an hour earlier than usual tomorrow, so goodnight. Xx


  


I put my phone on the bedside table and turned in the opposite direction, letting sleep take over.


  


***


  


“Emily, what are you doing here so early? What time did you arrive?” Suzie’s soothing voice came from the entrance to my office – making me lift my head up and blink at her in a daze.


  


“7:00AM. Mr. Kingston told me there was an important meeting on today and said I had to be here by 7:30AM,” I explained, making Suzie frown as I yawned. “Why, what time is it?” I asked curiously. “It’s 8:20AM, dear. There is a meeting on today but it doesn’t start until 10…” She trailed off, a puzzled expression crossing her features.


  


My eyes widened as my frown deepened. “But-”


  


“When did he tell you that?” she asked, cutting off my sentence unintentionally.


  


“Last night! Just before I went to bed!” I exclaimed, before jumping out of my seat and shoving my things into my handbag. “Shoot! I have to go and get his coffee!” Allen and Lisa’s faces appeared in my mind as I dashed out of my office all the way to Starbucks in my black pumps.


  


By the time I arrived at the small coffee shop, I was out of breath. “Allen! Lisa!” I called out, anxiously waiting for a reply.


  


“Hey Emily, what’s up?” Allen smiled as he casually strolled out from behind a wall, wiping his hands on a blue and white checked cloth.


  


“I need Adrian’s usual, quick!” I stressed, pressing a $10 bill onto the cool glass surface near the cash register.


  


Allen chuckled. “Did someone sleep in this morning?” he teased, grabbing a large cup from the stack near the coffee machines.


  


“No.” I groaned. “I did the opposite. Your jerk of a best friend told me to be in the office early this morning for a meeting – which I recently discovered doesn’t start until 10 – or he’d ‘punish’ me.” I groaned again as I looked at the time. 8:35AM. Allen chuckled. I watched his shoulders shake from laughter while he poured milk into the cup. “Day 3, and it sounds like you’re already giving up.” Allen smirked, mixing Adrian’s order thoroughly.


  


I was about to reply to his statement but was cut off by a startling shriek.


  


“SURPRISE!!!” Lisa called out all of a sudden, jumping out from behind the wall holding a cup of coffee. “I made you your latté! I know, I’m an amazing life saver, you can thank me later. You’re going to be late if you don’t get a move on soon!” Lisa scolded with a smile as she handed over the heavenly smelling drink.


  


I was about to thank her but she stopped my intentions, once again by glancing at her phone screen and gasping. “And so will I if I don’t leave soon! Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own, Allen?” She had turned to her brother, who was pressing the lid down tightly onto the coffee cup.


  


Allen rolled his eyes as he handed Adrian’s order over to me. “Yes, Lisa! I told you that a thousand times last night. Hurry up, or you’ll miss your train.” He pushed her in the direction of the exit, and she grinned and waved before thanking him and disappearing out of sight.


  


“You should really leave as well,” Allen said, an amused expression crossing his handsome features once again. “The note you gave me covers both of your orders. It’s 8:42AM. You have around 10 minutes to arrive and put his coffee on his desk.”


  


I gave him a pained look. “Thank you so much. I’ll see you tomorrow!” I called out before I left and dashed through the hustle in the streets of New York.


  


I was in Adrian’s office by 8:57AM, placing his order in its proper spot, just where he liked it to be in. I sighed in exhaustion. I was going to kill him when he arrived.


  


I stared at the cup with the infamous label curiously. I didn’t actually know what the contents within the cup were, and never bothered asking anyone either. I felt my body slightly lean in so that my nose was in line with the hole in the cup’s lid, and I closed one eye to peer into the contents.


  


I could see a whole lot of foam and I could slightly make out melted chocolate on the surface of the drink. Before my investigation could continue, someone cleared their throat, and my head snapped up in their direction. Adrian stood at the entrance smirking, holding a few files to his chest with his left arm. “What,” He began, his smirk growing, “are you doing, exactly?” He asked this in amusement, not anger, and I felt my cheeks flame in embarrassment.


  


“I- uh, I was just – no, hold on a minute, you!” I glared, pointing an accusing finger in his direction as he closed the door silently behind him, the smirk never slipping off his plump lips.


  


“You’re doing me?” he questioned, his eyebrows rising. “Let’s get started then.”


  


I blushed furiously as his smirk grew. “You said to be here at 7:30AM! You said we have an important meeting! I-”


  


“We do have an important meeting,” he interrupted, walking over to where I was standing and placing the files in his hands on the desk.


  


“What was the point of making me come into the office so early?” I pressed him. “The only meeting I had was when I met all the cleaners this morning!”


  


Adrian chuckled as he came face to face with me. He bent his tall frame downwards so he could be at level with mine. “I like seeing you worked up. You bring out the feisty side of yourself and leave the innocent assistant behind temporarily.” A satisfied smirk reappeared on his lips as my eyes widened and my cheeks began turning pink again.

“T-that has nothing to do with you making me come in so e-early,” I stuttered, suddenly conscious of just how close Adrian was by inhaling the scent of his cologne.

“It made you angry, didn’t it? That was my goal. Payback for not playing along last night.” He was referring to the text messages, and I felt the temperature of my cheeks soar up higher as the mental images resurfaced in my mind.

He pulled me in to his torso before leaning down again so that his lips were levelled with my ear. “From my experience, that usually means three things. You’re either a lesbian,” He kissed my jaw line and moved down to my neck and I shuddered, making him move back up to my ear, “Which can’t be true because you react to my touch. You’re either taken by someone,” he moved his hand to the small of my back and pressed my body even closer to his. “But I’ve asked around, and they’ve all confirmed that you’re 100% single. Which brings me to my last conclusion.” He met my eyes and smirked, “You were wearing either nothing or very limited clothing, and didn’t want to share that with me because you’re too decent to do so. But don’t worry,” His hand slipped down and gripped my backside and I gasped, my eyes growing wide and my body flushing in heat.

His smirk grew. “Judging by your reaction, I’d say it’s the latter.” He held on to me for a few more moments before his grip around my waist slowly loosened, and he strolled over and took his seat behind the desk, leaving me flushed and flustered by his actions and his discovery.


He sipped his drink and began working normally, like I wasn’t in the room and our bodies weren’t melded together a few moments ago. I breathed in deeply. The air was mixed in with Adrian’s scent. I tried to pull myself together. I grabbed my coffee cup from his desk and cleared my throat.


“Would you like anything before I go, sir?” I asked, my voice shaking slightly.


“Be ready by 9:30,” he murmured, more focused on the papers in front of him.

I nodded, even though he didn’t see my gesture, and wrapped my fingers around the cool metal of the door handle before being interrupted.


“It’s a latté with extra foam, chocolate topping and 1 sugar.” I turned around in confusion, thinking he was talking on the phone to someone but realised what he was referring to as he lifted the cup of coffee up to his lips, bringing back how the he found me when he walked in. I smiled slightly, still embarrassed from our previous encounter, before leaving his office.

Wow following

Chapter Three


  


  


  


Saturday came rolling by way too quickly for my comfort, and I found myself growing nervous and fidgety throughout the day at work. If Adrian noticed my jumpiness at all, he didn’t make any comments on it.


  


“Have you got the list of all the names with you?” he asked as I was leaving the office, referring to pieces of paper that had the names of global business owners printed on it. I nodded and held up the documents.


  


“And I have your favourite pen with me in case you lose it,” I added, “Don’t forget to pick up your shoes from the man down the road from here. He’s probably done polishing them by now. You’re wearing the black pair. Have you decided who your plus-one is going to be yet?” I got my small notebook out to write down the lucky? girl's name.


  


“Yes. I’m taking a girl named Adrianna Coleman. If any press ask you about her, say she’s just a friend and that I don’t like my association with other females published – to respect their privacy, of course.” He smirked. “She’s amazing in bed.”


  


I raised an eyebrow and rolled my eyes at his last comment before putting the notebook and my pen back into my bag. “Is there anything else you’d like before I go?” I asked curiously as I briefly glanced at the screen of my phone to check the time. “I’ve given Rita your address so she can work on your hair as soon as you get to your apartment. Just… relax, okay? You shouldn’t receive much attention at the event, but if you do, I’ll make sure to steer the conversation in a different direction.” As he assured me, he rubbed my back in a soothing motion.


  


I blushed at the gesture and at the fact that he knew why my behaviour was the way it has been throughout the day. I cleared my throat. “Thank you.” I murmured. “I’ll see you soon.” I gave him a small smile, before heading home.


  


***


  


“Are you Emily?” A blonde piped up, peering down at me as I ascended the stairs that led to the door of my apartment. I smiled as I reached the last step. “Yes, you must be…Rita? Hello, thank you so much for coming. I’m sorry if I’m taking from your personal time.” I frowned, remembering that it was past 6PM.


  


“Nonsense!” she said, waving off my apology. “I love what I do, and I’m especially going to love working on your hair! It’s really healthy for blonde! What do you do to it?” She waited for my reply a she watched me unlock my apartment door.


  


I laughed, blushing slightly. “Uh… Shampoo and conditioner?” I replied uncertainly, my blush deepening.


  


She laughed and pinched my cheeks. “You’re too cute! Well then, I’m going to love having your hair to work with! Let’s get started. Adrian told me you needed to be at the office by 7:45 PM,” she squinted at her watch, “and it’s almost 6:30!”


  


I let out a squeak of surprise. “Already? Um, would you like anything to drink? I just want to have a quick shower before we start. Or not,” I bit my lip. “That is, if you can’t do my hair when it’s wet?”


  


Rita raised an eyebrow at me and put a hand on her hip. “Honey; I’m the best of the best. If you were bald, I’d still make your head work. I’ll just have a cold glass of water. Do you mind if I set my things up in your room?”


  


“Of course not! Be my guest.” I grinned at her, before going into the kitchen and pouring her a glass of water and dropping a few ice cubes in. Then I followed Rita to my room, where she had already begun putting her products onto my vanity. I placed the water in front of her, before blindly grabbing a pair of underwear and going into the bathroom for my shower.


  


As soon as I returned to the room, Rita ushered me over to the chair in front of the vanity. “Okay, sit down, we need to get started right away,” she said, forcing me to sit by pressing my body down by my shoulders. I barely got to settle in or say a word before I felt a copious amounts of some sort of crème being lathered onto my slightly damp hair. The loud whoosh of the blow dryer muted any conversation that could have arisen.


  


Once she turned it off, she leaned over and grabbed a blue bottle before I felt more cool liquid being applied to my hair. “I’m going to try and finish by 7PM,” Rita said as she lowered the blue bottle and picked up a curling wand. “Is that enough for you to do your makeup and travel time to get back to the office?” “Yes, thank you.” I smiled, growing fond of her. We chatted effortlessly about random things. How she met Adrian, her two children and husband at home, the first and only boyfriend I had during college, and funny things that have happened to us. The time had flown due to the easy conversation but Rita managed to keep her promise, finishing my hair just 3 minutes after 7PM.


  


“Okay, now you can look.” She laughed, handing me a mirror as she referred back to my whining stage of not being able to see my hair in the conversation.


  


I looked at the hair in the reflection and my eyes widened. “Wow, you really are the best,” I murmured, my hand unconsciously going to touch the style. Rita slapped my hand away before snatching the mirror from me and spraying a curl once more with hairspray. “Don’t touch your hair unless it’s an accident, okay?! Now, I really have to rush off. Send me a picture of the final product! Actually, I’ll just get it off the internet.” She winked as she gathered her things and shoved them into her bag.


  


“Thank you so much, Rita. Honestly, my hair looks amazing because of you – and I’ll make sure to let everyone know that if they ask.” I winked too, laughing along with her.


  


“You’re going to look gorgeous, hairstyle or not. See you babe!” She pulled me in for a quick hug before exiting my apartment in a rush, and I closed the door behind her softly. I walked back to my room and decided to work on my makeup first, in case anything went wrong and I would have to fix it. I applied liquid eyeliner, 3 different types of mascara that almost made my eyelashes touch my brow bone, eye shadow, bronzer and blush. Then, remembering Amy’s stern advice with a sigh, I rifled through my bag and found the tube of bright red lipstick and applied it onto my lips, instantly making their plump form stand out from the usual light shades. By the time I was done with my makeup, it was 7:20PM, and I rushed to get my dress from the closet on the other side of the room.


  


I slipped it on hurriedly, then my high heels. After that I grabbed my bag and shoved in the tube of red lipstick, my phone, house keys, a band aid and antiseptic wipes, along with Adrian’s favourite pen and the list of names given to me earlier that day. Finally I was rushing out the door. I was going to be late.


  


I arrived at Kingston Corp at exactly 7:43PM and stepped out of the elevator, frantic. I hadn’t even seen my final reflection yet, due to the rush of getting here. I immediately headed for Adrian’s office and opened the door.


  


“It’s 7:45, we have to go,” I announced, as my eyes landed on his back in the corner of the room near a water filter that I hadn’t noticed before.


  


He turned around as he took another sip of water and spit the mouthful all over the floor as soon as his eyes landed on me. “What are you wearing?” He choked, putting the cup down with more force than needed, his eyes never leaving my body. My eyes widened in shock. Wasn’t it good enough for the dinner? Was it too plain? Too short? “I- I- I’m so sorry!” I blurted. “My friend picked it out. It’s too tight, isn’t it? I- I’m so sorry. I can just wear the spare clothes that I’ve left here. They’re black and white. And I can rub off the lipstick and I’ll-”


  


“Shut up, will you?” he demanded, walking over to where I nervously stood. My mouth abruptly sealed itself, too nervous to argue about his rude language. “Why don’t you wear stuff like this to work every day?” he murmured, the green in his eyes dominating the honey brown as he snaked an arm around my waist and took in the dress on my body again.


  


“W- We really should get going…” I trailed off, suddenly self-conscious under his intense gaze. A blush made its way to my cheeks as he leaned in closer so that I could feel his solid torso through his suit. I mentally cursed. I shouldn’t be paying attention to those things. He was my boss, and a womanizer.


  


I was about to put my hand on his chest to push him away but he sighed and pulled away himself.


  


“Let’s go,” he muttered, avoiding my gaze. “Adrianna will meet us there.”


  


We stayed silent as we made our way to the black limousine waiting in front of the office.


  


I stopped short and gasped, “Shoot. I forgot my coat.” In my worry, I was barely conscious of just how close Adrian was standing next to me.


  


“Are you cold?” he asked has he opened the door of the car.


  


“Thank you. No, no. I would’ve just preferred to wear it over this dress after…” I didn’t finish my sentence, but by how he filled in what I could not say and how he reacted, the implication was clear, and it hurt more than I thought it would.


  


“I prefer that as well. We can drive to your apartment to pick it up before we go.”


  


He picked up his phone to dial the driver’s number.


  


I frowned angrily. “I know you don’t like the dress, but do you have to be such an asshole about it? If you want to cover me up from the paps and hide the fact that you didn’t get a size 2 model as your assistant, then you shouldn’t have hired me in the first place.” I tugged at the dress to cover more of my legs but as I pulled down, the cloth slipped slightly from my chest area, revealing more cleavage than intended. I pulled it back up. Unfortunately, the man beside me missed nothing. I could only glare and blush at his amused expression.


  


He covered it quickly with a glare of his own. “No. I was offering so that you wouldn’t have so many bloodthirsty men looking at your body tonight and making comments and suggestions. But clearly, you don’t care about that; so we’ll just leave you how you are.” He slipped his phone back into the pocket of his pants.


  


I felt my jaw drop. “So it’s okay for you to make the ‘comments’ and ‘suggestions’ but when someone else does it, it’s not okay? You’re such a hypocrite!” I exclaimed angrily. “I’m allowed to make those comments because I’m Adrian Kingston,” he retorted, making my blood boil.


  


“Are you kidding me right now? Do you honestly believe that you can get away with whatever you want just because you’re ‘Adrian Kingston?’ You know what, I’m glad Amy picked out this dress. Maybe it’ll ruin your flawless reputation.” I snarled at him as the glare I thought had slipped off came crawling back onto my face.


  


His head whipped back to meet my eyes, and I found his expression mirroring mine. “I don’t give a Bleep about what they think of me. I wanted you covered because you’re mine. Now be quiet for the rest of the trip, and memorise the names so you’re prepared to give me any information I need on them when I ask you to. Remember that this is your job, Ms. Johnson, and I am your boss.” Adrian gave me a stern look and turned away before I could comment, ending the conversation.


  


***


  


We arrived at the hotel about half an hour later, and I froze in my position as the rapid flash of bright lights surrounded the car the moment it stopped. My eyes widened as the flashing came closer to the vehicle, and I felt my breathing hitch in my throat.


  


“Hey. It’ll be alright, they’re only outside, so we’ll walk as quickly as we can so I can get you inside, okay?”


  


I looked over to where Adrian was sitting and found him looking at me worriedly. I nodded, answering his question before taking in a deep breath. “We should go. We’re already late.” I reached out to open the door on my side.


  


“No, don’t.” Adrian spoke up, as I felt his hand pull mine away from the door handle. I looked at him in confusion.


  


“How am I supposed to get out?” I laughed, attempting to cover my nerves.


  


“Come out after me from my side,” he said, before I let out a small squeak as he pulled me over to him by wrapping an arm around my waist. He smirked down at me before releasing my body from his hold and opening the door. Shouts of his name instantly erupted from the photographers around the car, and I used the attention on him as a hopeful distraction as I got out of car.

We walked around the car to meet Adrianna – a tall blonde haired model with flawless bronze skin and chocolate brown eyes. She pulled Adrian in for a kiss before linking her arm with his and walking away, leaving me to scurry awkwardly behind them. My ears perked up as I walked past various reporters who were standing around the entrance of the hotel as Adrian got interviewed by others.


  


“One of the biggest business dinners hosted yearly…”


  


“Business names from all around the globe are making an appearance here tonight…”


  


“If you were here tonight, you’re classified as one of the most successful businesses around the world. That’s a big title, and…” “… Adrian Kingston, once again with a new lady on his arm…”


  


“… Seems like Adrian Kingston, the current CEO of Kingston Corp; has a new assistant tonight!”


  


My eyes widened at that statement, and I hurried my pace and put my head down, avoiding any eye contact I could make with what seemed like every news and gossip site reporters in the world surrounding me.


  


“Emily.” Adrian’s deep voice murmured, making me look up from my shoes to meet his eyes. That’s when I realised that I was standing in the same position. I blushed and scurried towards his side, as he frowned. “Relax,” he whispered as he placed a hand on my shoulder in an effort to calm me down. “You’re brining attention to yourself from how rigid you’re being.” My body relaxed slightly as I looked up and nodded at him. “Sorry,” I muttered, before following him inside the hotel and into the conference room that was transformed into a dinner reception, leaving the reporters behind.


  


“So how do these things work? Is it dinner first then socialising or opposite?” I asked Adrian curiously. I expected to hear his answer, but abruptly stopped when Adrianna came into view and blocked my path.


  


“I’m sorry, who are you?” she asked, a slight frown crossing her features.


  


“I’m Adri- Mr. Kingston’s assistant.” I smiled and put a hand out for her to shake. “Emily Johnson. It’s nice to meet you, Adrianna.” She scoffed and turned away from me, facing Adrian, who didn’t notice the exchange because he was preoccupied with someone else. “Adrian, sweetie. Is this really your assistant? I’m finding it hard to believe her since she’s so fat.” Her nose scrunched up, and I felt my face turn red with anger.


  


“She’s not fat at all. She’s rather sexy.”


  


A voice I could not recognize broke into our exchange. The man walked around Adrianna and Adrian, who I noticed had become stiff.


  


“Hello, gorgeous,” the stranger said, taking hold of my hand and bringing it up to his lips for a light kiss on my knuckles. “I’m David Walter.” I gave the man, this David, a tight, uncomfortable smile and withdrew my hand as soon as his grip loosened. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” I nodded.


  


His eyes travelled down the length of my body, lingering on my chest area a little longer. “No, no, the pleasure is all mine, I can guarantee you that. Does the lovely lady have a name?” he asked, raising both his eyebrows.


  


I cleared my throat as my eyes slowly slid over to Adrian, who was glaring daggers at David. “She’s just my assistant, David,” Adrian said in a snippy tone, “no one you should be associating with.”


  


David’s gaze slowly drifted from my figure to meet his. “A little fun won’t hurt,” he told Adrian with an amused smile, bringing his eyes back to me. I cleared my throat. “Excuse us, Mr. Walter; Mr. Kingston has other business to attend to.” I looked over at Adrian as an indication to start walking away. I could see the anger building within him by his clenched jaw and fists. Adrian’s eyes met with mine, and he turned to walk away. I started to follow him, before I was pulled back by an arm that was wrapped around my waist. I let out a startled yelp as my back collided with David’s chest.


  


He chuckled. “Mr. Kingston has business to attend to, but I’m sure you don’t. Let’s get out of here for a little while…” He trailed off suggestively, making me cringe in disgust.


  


Before I could reply, I felt my body being ripped out of David’s arms roughly, before I collided into another male. “Don’t touch her,” Adrian growled, directing his command at David.


  


David put his hands up in defense. “Now, now. I was just messing around. Didn’t know she was already spoken for.” David raised his eyebrows Adrian, waiting for his response.


  


Before Adrian could answer, I put a hand on his chest. “Leave it. Let’s go,” I muttered, hoping to distract him. He looked down at me before lightly spinning me around so that I was walking within his eye range.


  


We stopped and spoke to a few more people – both men and women – before finding our seats on the table assigned to us and sitting down. As soon as I had gotten comfortable on my seat, I felt my phone vibrate in my purse. Groaning, I took it out and found my friend Molly’s name in bold letters.


  


“Excuse me,” I muttered to the table, smiling briefly, before answering the call and leaving the conference room. “Hey Molly, what’s up?”


  


“YOU’RE ALL OVER THE INTERNET!” Her voice, along with what sounded like Claire’s, screeched through the speaker of my phone.


  


I froze in my position, my grip on my phone suddenly becoming tighter. “What? What do you mean?” I asked in mortification.


  


“There are photos of you on every gossip site! Some are just saying  you’re not Adrian’s usual type of secretary, others are saying that you and Adrian have a thing going on because HE WAS TOUCHING YOUR SHOULDER AND LOOKING DOWN AT YOU WITH A REALLY CONCERNED EXPRESSION –“


  


“EMILY, WHAT ARE WE MISSING HERE?!” Claire suddenly burst out, before Molly shushed her and continued, a little more coherently.


  


“But the real issue is one with someone named…” I heard a few clicking of keyboard keys before she spoke up again, “David Walter, you, and your fine-ass boss. David looks like he’s hugging you and Adrian looks really angry – seriously, really angry. It looks like he’s about to punch the guy. And the title of the article is ‘Lovers’ Spat? Has Adrian’s new assistant been ‘assisting’ someone else?’” Molly finished talking, and I couldn’t find my voice to speak. How would they get photos of that? It was inside – there were no paparazzi allowed inside. I cleared my throat, which was suddenly feeling dry. “Can you guys send me the article? I’ll talk to you guys later. Thanks for letting me know.” I waited for their confirmations and goodbyes before hanging up.


  


I walked back into the conference hall just as they began putting plates of food onto the tables. Once I reached our table, I tapped Adrian’s shoulder lightly. He looked back with an annoyed expression, but instantly raised an eyebrow once he saw that it was me.


  


“Uh,” I cleared my throat as all the other pairs of eyes seated at the table landed on me, “Can we talk for a second?”


  


Adrian didn’t say anything as he got out of his seat and followed me out of the room. Once we were outside, I handed my phone over to him, showing the article Molly and Claire had told me about minutes ago. Adrian’s eyes scanned the article quickly, and I watched as his hands turned white from the grip he had on my phone.


  


“Who told you about this?” he growled, sliding his gaze away from the phone screen to meet mine. “Was it someone threatening you?” he demanded impatiently, “How much did they ask for to take it down?”


  


I took my phone out of his death grip before he broke it. “No one told me about it. My friends were… um, browsing gossip sites for… news on Johnny Depp… and their eyes fell on this article. I thought there were no paparazzi allowed inside the hotel?” I questioned, attempting to cover the blush on my cheeks.


  


“You could’ve just said your friends were stalking me online,” his expression softened, but only briefly. Turning serious again, he muttered, “Let me handle it, you can go back inside.” He waved me off as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.


  


“O- okay. Do you need me to do anything?” I asked before leaving.


  


“Yeah. Don’t talk to any other male in there. I mean it.” He glared, before turning away and bringing the phone to his ear. I gave his back a look of disbelief before huffing and making my way back inside to our table, keeping my head down to avoid any eye contact. Adrian was making it out as if it was my fault that David came on to me and the article was released! I took my original seat and checked the time on my phone before putting it back into my bag. I sat silently for a while before I decided to turn to Adrianna.


  


“So, where are you from?” I asked with a small smile, attempting to be polite and willing to set aside her earlier rudeness.


  


She looked away from her reflection in the small mirror she was holding to glare at me. “None of your business,” she snapped, before looking at herself again. I sighed and shook my head; someone had socialising issues.


  


A few more minutes passed and the smell of the food was starting to affect me. I kept shifting in my chair to try and stop the growl that was threatening to erupt from my stomach as the waiters walked passed with plates of food. Just when I thought I wouldn’t be able to take it anymore, a male waiter bent down and put a plate near the woman next to me.


  


“Sorry… you weren’t here when we asked, did you want chicken, fish, steak, or the vegetarian meal, miss?” the waiter asked, a bright grin crossing his features when I slightly turned to face him.


  


“That’s okay,” I said. “Can I please get the chicken? And let me answer for my boss as well… Um, if you didn’t know his order already, he’ll have the-”


  


“I’ll have the steak. Go.” Adrian’s deep voice interrupted, breaking the eye contact between the waiter and myself. The waiter nodded and walked away at a suspiciously rapid pace. I turned to Adrian and scowled, then remembered we were at an event and that he was my boss. “That was rude,” I said in a hushed tone with a frown to match, as he took his seat in between Adrianna and me.


  


“What part of don’t talk to any other male did your pretty little head not comprehend?” he growled in a low voice, making his deep vocals sink deeper as he glared at me.


  


“He was asking what I wanted to eat!” I exclaimed, my tone rising a little. My palm flew over to my mouth when I realised, and I quickly removed it. “Sorry!” I whispered, briefly glancing around to see if anyone was watching the encounter.


  


“I don’t care what he was asking. I don’t want you talking to anyone, unless I tell you to.” Coldly, he added, “Know your place, Ms. Johnson.” He turned to Adrianna and gave her a smirk. She put the mirror down and pulled him in for a kiss and I looked away in disgust.


  


“Hello sweetie, I’m Tania Harrison.” I turned to the lady who was sitting next to me and smiling.


  


I returned the gesture before answering. “Hi, I’m Emily Johnson. It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Harrison.” My eyes caught the gigantic wedding ring that rested on her finger.


  


“Oh please, call me Tania,” she laughed, waving away the formality. “So, you’re Mr. Kingston’s new assistant? You’re very beautiful.” She complimented me as I felt her eyes briefly scanning my face and body. “A figure I’d definitely like to have.” She laughed as I started to blush and look down at my lap. “Thank you,” I murmured, looking over at her own attire. She was dressed in a simple white dress that had three-quarter sleeves and a think black belt rested just above her waist. “What are you talking about? You’re skinny!” I exclaimed, before feeling my cheeks heat up even more.


  


She laughed and again made a vague, waving gesture at my statement. “Skinny, yes, but you have curves in all the right places. I bet your boyfriend goes crazy over you.” She winked, and my cheeks, if possible, grew warmer.


  


“I- I don’t have a boyfriend.” I smiled, looking down in embarrassment.


  


“Adrian.” I heard Adrianna whine, making my head snap in their direction. I found Adrian smirking at me knowingly, and it confused me until realisation set in. He must have been thinking about the day he made me come into the office early for not replying to his texts. Before I could react, the waiter who had taken my order previously returned and placed a plate in front of Adrian before doing the same with me.


  


“Thank you.” I looked up at the waiter and smiled. He looked like he was about to reply but glanced over at Adrian before nodding with a brief smile and leaving.


  


I looked over at Adrian to see him still glaring at the waiter’s back. “Adrian!” I hissed, and he slowly peeled his eyes away from the waiter. “Stop glaring at him like he murdered a child,” I scolded.


  


“Whatever,” he muttered, before picking up his knife and fork and digging into his meal.


  


I shook my head and turned back to Tania. “Sorry about that, what were we saying?” I asked as I met her gaze. She was smiling smugly and looking back and forth between Adrian and I. “What is it?” I asked in a panicked tone.


  


Her smile just grew as she picked up her fork and shrugged. “Nothing,” she said, before placing a piece of her chicken into her mouth elegantly. I frowned and bit my lip curiously, but didn’t push the subject.

“Remind me to call Jason Turner on Monday morning regarding the products he wants to have in my hotel. And remind me to email Martin Harrison in regards to-”


  


“Martin Harrison? Is that Tina Harrison’s husband?” I interrupted, before blushing at the annoyed glance Adrian threw in my direction. “Yes. To email him in regards to the business arrangement we made.”


  


I finished writing it down in my notebook and nodded. “Anything else?” I asked as I looked up to find him on his phone, frowning.


  


“Yes. I hope you remembered to keep a spare pair of clothing for me in your office. I may need it on Monday.” He frowned in disapproval. “You have done that already, right?”


  


I glared. “Yes. I have a black, a navy and a grey suit pressed and ready for you to wear and shoes and underwear and ties and socks. Is there anything else?” I repeated, annoyed. He looked surprised before shaking his head and looking back down at his phone.


  


After a few more minutes of silence, I cleared my throat. “Thank you… for everything today,” I muttered quietly, looking down at my lap as I fidgeted and played with my fingers.


  


“It was nothing,” he responded bluntly, and we fell into silence again.


  


“Emily.” I looked up at the mention of my name, to find Adrian smirking at me. “That dress looks beautiful on you,” he stated as his eyes scanned the fabric once more. I started to blush once his eyes met mine. Again, I could not help but notice how the green of his dominated the brown in them.


  


“Thank you.” I murmured, avoiding his eyes.


  


“Although, I think it’d look better on the floor of my bedroom.”


  


I looked back up to meet his eyes to find the smirk on his face growing and I frowned. “But you wouldn’t be able to see it properly on the floor?” I said in a confused state, before gasping as the realisation set in. “Adrian!” I punched his arm and blushed harder as he chuckled.


  


“So naïve and gullible.” He chuckled as he pulled me over to his side by wrapping an arm around my waist. “I know you want to do it.” “No, I really don’t.”


  


“Yes you do. You think about it all the time. It’s obvious too. The way you react to my touch…” He trailed off as I felt a warm hand slowly travel up my thigh, making me shiver from the sudden contact with my cool skin. Adrian looked satisfied with himself, certain he had just proven his point. “You also haven’t had anything like this happen to you in a while. I will gladly change that…” I frowned at his words and stopped his hand.


  


“No thank you. I’ve told you countless times, Adrian, and I will say it again. I’m. Not. Interested.” I glared up at him and scooted back to my seat just as the car stopped. I looked out the window to see that we were in front of my house, so I slung my bag over my shoulder and opened the door. “I’ll see you on Monday.” I winked, before slamming the door shut. The car drove off as soon as I started climbing the stairs of my apartment building. I checked my phone as I did so. It was almost 1AM. Thank god tomorrow was Sunday. I could sleep in after a long week of working for Adrian Kingston. I sighed as I got to my door and opened my bag to get out my keys.


  


Except, I couldn’t find them. I began to panic as I rummaged through the small space of the bag. I packed them. I was 100% sure of that. Could they have fallen at the event? No. the only time I had opened my bag then was when Molly had called and when I had taken my lipstick out. They were still in there.


  


I sighed in frustration as I kicked my door before dialing the last person I wanted to see “I knew you’d change your mind.” Adrian’s arrogant voice sounded from the speaker of my phone.


  


“No, actually. I just wanted to ask you if my house keys are in the car anywhere. I can’t get into my apartment because I seem to have misplaced them.” I heard a bit of shuffling in the background before it was quiet again. “Nope, there’s nothing here.”


  


I sighed. “I’ll just call my friends to see if they’re still up or I can just crash at a hotel for the night. Thanks any-”


  


“You can stay at mine for the night,” Adrian stated.


  


“Yeah,” I scoffed. “Over my dead body.” I laughed, until I heard Adrian telling the driver to turn back around to my house. “Stay where you are,” he said when he turned his attention back to me.


  


“Adrian. I’m not staying at-”


  


The line went dead.

Chapter Four


  


  


  


I had set Three Rules during the drive to Adrian’s apartment – and went over them in my head carefully as we stepped into the elevator of one of the biggest hotels he owned. He lived in the penthouse.


  


1.No sleeping in the same room as Adrian Kingston. I was not that type of girl, I knew what he would get up to and most importantly, he was my boss.             
  
2.No touching Adrian of any sort. Touching in his eyes would lead to something more. Something I didn’t want happening. 3.No staying longer than necessary. As soon I wake up, I would leave and make my way over to Amy’s house.             
  


Yes you do. A small voice laughed in my mind, but I frowned and ignored it as he unlocked the door to his penthouse suite.


  


“You know, since we are at a hotel, I could just stay in a separate room?” I suggested, biting my lip as the realisation hit me.


  


“No,” he stated bluntly, before dragging me over to a hallway and entering the second room on the right. I was met with a four-poster bed, a flat screen television that took up most of the wall across the bed, two doors – one that lead to an ensuite and another that was filled with clothing – and two bedside tables with lamps. “Is this where I’ll be staying?” I asked in awe as my eyes scanned the contents of the bedroom once again. It was the size of my entire apartment!


  


“This is where we’re staying,” Adrian smirked down at me as he pulled of his tie. “This is my room.”


  


I frowned and turned around to respond to him – only to find him making his way over to the walk-in wardrobe – where another two items of his clothing were pulled off his torso.


  


I cleared my throat and focused my vision on the peep-toe of my heels. “Adrian. I really think I should sleep in a separate room. To keep things professional, you know? I don’t want anybody getting the wrong idea…” I trailed off, blushing. The reality of the situation was that I didn’t want Adrian seeing me in the thing I have adapted to throughout the years – sleeping in nothing but my shirt and my underwear. Even in the coldest conditions – I had to sleep without any pants on or a bra.


  


“Nobody will find out. We’ll be fine.” His voice sounded from the room, coming out a bit muffled due to the distance in between us.


  


I let out a nervous laugh. “What I meant was… I’m not sure it’s the best idea because… you know…” I trailed off again, unsure of what to use as a convincing excuse.


  


Adrian exited the room and threw a shirt and a pair of boxers at me with an amused expression. “No, I don’t. Care to enlighten me?” he asked as he raised an eyebrow. A smirk started forming on his lips as I clutched the clothing to my chest and opened my mouth to respond. “Is it because you’re planning on sleeping naked, Emily?” His voice dropped down to a husky whisper as he walked towards me, and I felt my back make contact with his bedroom wall as I unconsciously moved backwards.


  


“I-, no, o-of course not,” I stammered, my cheeks heating up under his gaze.


  


He chuckled. “Let me correct myself. Almost naked then? I really don’t mind.” He shrugged while his bottom lip stuck out in a careless pout as he stood directly in front of me. “It’ll be even.” He smirked again, and that’s when my vision trailed down to his shirtless torso and plaid pajama bottoms. I was about to answer him, but he cut me off again. “Plus, less clothes, less work.” His smirk grew and my voice found itself again. “I want my own room, please.” I glared, fighting the urge to look down at his body.


  


He chuckled and stepped away from me. “I was kidding. I would never do anything you don’t want. It’s only a matter of time before you do want it, though. I can guarantee you that. I can already see that you’re trying to resist me. Come on,” he said abruptly, “you can get dressed in my walk-in.” It ended the topic. For now.


  


I frowned at his back as he walked over to the attachment to his room and held the door open for me. “If you need help taking off your clothes, just give me a shout. I’ll gladly be of assistance.” He winked, before shutting the door. I shook my head at his comment and took off my heels before eyeing the door handle once more – paranoid that he was going to walk in. I heard his voice a few seconds later and let out a relieved sigh. He was on the phone.


  


I quickly stripped out of the tight fitting dress as another relieved sigh escaped from my lips. I was never going to wear that dress again. I slipped on Adrian’s shirt, a vintage-looking The Rolling Stones tee that fell mid-thigh, and instantly inhaled the scent. I couldn’t picture Adrian in something so casual, I thought to myself as I bit my bottom lip and slipped on his plain red boxers. They were slightly over-sized at the waist, so I rolled them up a few times to fit.


  


I folded the dress and picked up my shoes before exiting the room – only to find Adrian standing at the door with his arm extended. “I was just about to open the door,” he stated, once my gaze landed on his outstretched arm. “Right,” I smirked. “Where is my room so I can put down my things?” I asked as a yawn escaped my mouth. I looked over at the clock on the bedside table near Adrian’s bed and my eyebrows shot up as 1:47AM blinked back at me in bold numbers.


  


Adrian grinned and took a step back before pointing at the ensuite. “You can put them in there. I’ve already told you – this is your room.”


  


I sighed tiredly as my shoulders slumped in defeat. “Adrian. I really can’t sleep in the same bed as you,” I said as I walked into the attached bathroom and placed my dress and heels in there.


  


When I re-entered the bedroom, Adrian was already pulling the covers off. “We’re both tired. It’s just one night. I won’t do anything.” Adrian nodded reassuringly as he patted the empty spot beside him.


  


I sighed and bit my lip as I looked down at the clothes that currently sat on my body. How bad could a pair of boxers and my bra be for one night? Adrian clearly wasn’t going to budge with his decision. I took out any bobby pins that were in my hair and shook it out before climbing into the other side of the bed. As soon my head hit the pillow in a comfortable position, Adrian scooted over and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me into his half naked torso with a satisfied smirk.


  


“Adrian,” I groaned, trying to push him away from my body. I failed miserably – due to his strong stamina and my lack of strength at 2 in the morning – and decided to go with the flow. Rule #1 was broken. 3:45AM.


  


Adrian was snoring softly beside me, a heavy arm resting over my sweating body. It wasn’t summer, it wasn’t even a hot Spring night. The thermo in the room was set at a temperature that is usually defined as perfect to the human body; but it wasn’t to me. I was wearing too much clothing, and the wire of my bra was poking at my breasts uncomfortably. I looked up at the ceiling and frowned. This was a penthouse suite, there had to be other rooms in here.


  


Sighing, I hesitantly lifted Adrian’s arm off my body and slid out from underneath it, quickly placing a pillow in my previous position to act as an alternate me. I tip-toed to the door before leaving it and sighing in relief. I was way too tired to explain myself to Adrian right now. I looked over to the door that was closed right across me and bit my lip. I shouldn’t be invading Adrian’s privacy like this. I looked over to where I entered the penthouse suite. The living room had nicely furnished leather couches that I could sleep on, but they had no blankets or pillows. I shook my head and tried to open the door across from me – only to find it locked. I frowned slightly, my curiosity taking over the rational part of my brain. What could be in there? I discarded the thought temporarily as I moved on to the next door in the hallway. The door was unlocked, and I entered to find a bathroom.


  


I let out a frustrated sigh as I closed the door again and opened the door next to Adrian’s room. I was met with a king-sized bed. Not as big as Adrian’s – few beds were - but a mattress would’ve sufficed at that moment. I grinned tiredly as I closed the door behind me and unhooked my bra and slipped off the borrowed boxers. I threw the bra across over the mattress and heard it land on the floor with a soft ‘clump’, before I pulled the covers over my bare legs and snuggled into the soft pillows.


  


***


  


“Why are you in here?” A husky voice asked, pulling me out of the blackness that had just overcome me.


  


My eyelids reluctantly opened as I made out the tall, shirtless silhouette of my boss bending down to be levelled with my face.


  


“I couldn’t sleep with you,” I mumbled, shifting my position in the bed to get more comfortable.


  


“Why not?” he exclaimed, running a hand through his bed hair. “I didn’t do anything!”


  


“It’s not you, it’s me,” I muttered.


  


“I feel like you just broke up with me,” he mumbled, and I let out a small laugh. “Fine, we can both sleep in here then.”


  


I heard footsteps walk to the other side of the bed.


  


“No, Adrian!” I shot up from my sleeping position to stop him from entering the bed just as his eyes landed on my black lace bra, sprawled across the floor next to his red boxers. My cheeks flushed as his eyes met mine and he smirked.


  


“Ah, I see.” “Yeah. Goodnight,” I said as another yawn escaped my mouth and I shifted my position back to my original sleeping one. As I did so, I felt the mattress dip on the other side and I squealed and fell off the edge of my side of the bed as Adrian chuckled. “I told you not to come into the bed!” I groaned as I untangled myself from the sheets that were pulled down with me.


  


“If I knew you I was going to get that view, I would’ve done it sooner.”


  


I looked down to find that the shirt and rolled up in the midst of me untangling the sheets and my legs and backside were on show. My cheeks began to change colour again as I slowly got up and re-tangled the sheets around the bottom half of by body – covering the exposed skin.


  


“We’re sleeping together. Whether it’s in this shit bed or my luxurious one is up to you. Make your choice.” Adrian shrugged, propping an elbow onto the pillow and resting his head on his palm. Any comment I would’ve made dried up in my throat as my eyes travelled down the length of his body, before my eyes widened and I looked down at the tangled sheets and mentally cursed myself. Amy was going to have a field day when she heard about this.


  


“Your room,” I muttered, my gaze still glued to the floor.


  


“Brilliant,” I heard him say, before I felt my body being lifted off the ground and thrown over a broad, solid shoulder. Without the sheets. “Adrian!” I hissed, my cheeks growing an even deeper shade of red.


  


“It’s okay shortcake, I’m not looking.” He chuckled, as I felt a sting spread in my backside.


  


“Did you just slap my ass?” I asked in shock as I felt my body fall onto Adrian’s soft mattress. I quickly grabbed the covers on the bed and covered my legs up before Adrian chuckled and joined me.


  


“What if I did, shortcake?” he smirked, snaking an arm around my waist and pulling me into his body. “Can I have a hug before we sleep?” he asked as he stuck his bottom lip out in a pout.


  


I frowned. “Why?” I asked suspiciously, slightly squinting my eyes at his innocent expression.


  


He shrugged. “For the sake of going to bed at 4 in the morning. Pleaseeeeeeeee?” He dragged on, shocking me by giving a full, pearly white smile. I sighed after a while and nodded.


  


“Okay. You’re weird at 4AM.” But I pulled him in for a hug.


  


“Mmm…” he mumbled into my hair, and I felt his lips curling into yet another smirk. I pulled away and he chuckled.


  


“What did you do?” I asked as his smirk grew.


  


“You hugged me pretty tightly there,” he responded, avoiding my question.


  


“You’re the one who was pushing me into you!” I retorted.


  


“Yes I was,” he said shamelessly, before pulling me in for another hug. “W- What are you doing? What is that?” I asked nervously as I felt his kneecap poke into my stomach.


  


“I’m hugging a sexy woman who barely has any clothing on, at 4 in the morning, in my bed. Do you really think that’s my knee?” he asked as an eyebrow arched up. I looked down at the small space between us and found a large bulge poking out in the middle of our bodies. My curiosity acted for me as my arm went out to inspect the thing – but just as my fingers slightly stroked it, Adrian groaned and I jumped back, realising what it was.


  


“Oh my god. You- you- you have a- a thing!” I exclaimed as I crawled back to the edge of the bed, making sure I wouldn’t fall off again. Adrian’s eyes fluttered back open as his gaze met mine and he smirked. “Like I said; I’m in bed with an incredibly beautiful and almost naked woman, you don’t honestly expect me to be normal, do you? Come on, let’s get some sleep.” He ushered me over to him, and I looked down at the bulge in his pants with uncertainty before cautiously going back to my original sleeping position.


  


“If you try anything, I will kick your ass,” I warned, sinking into the softness of the pillows.


  


He chuckled and moved closer to me. “I won’t. Goodnight, Emily,” he murmured into my hair.


  


I mumbled a response before I let darkness fill my vision, and I fell asleep with the thought that I had unintentionally broken Rule #2.


  


This was going great. ***


  


It was way too bright.


  


I was sure there was no way I could open my eyes without going partially blind in the room I was in. I found myself stretching on the soft mattress I was sleeping on and sighed in relief when a few of my limbs cracked. My eyes flew open as a soft snore sounded from beside me and my outstretched arm made contact with a solid part of the bed. I looked over to my right to find Adrian fast asleep, not even centimetres away from me, snoring softly as his legs and arms entangled with my body and pulled me closer towards him.


  


My body stiffened at the contact, and I looked over at his face to find a slight smile forming on his plump lips, making me frown in curiosity.


  


“Adrian,” I whispered, “If you’re awake, this isn’t funny.”


  


Neither Adrian’s expression nor his body shifted after I had said those words, proving that he was still sound asleep. I put my head back onto the pillow and looked up at the ceiling. I was trapped. My eyes wandered around the room until they landed on a cleaning lady, and my body instantly stiffened once again. She was bopping her head to herself as she quietly closed the ensuite door behind her while balancing a bucket of chemicals and sponges in the other hand.


  


I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping she wouldn’t notice me, until I heard the door of the room close softly. This was getting ridiculous. I don’t care if Adrian wakes up; he’s the one who wanted us to sleep in the same bed in the first place.


  


I turned my head to look at the time and my eyes widened once they read 2PM. This was the longest I had stayed in bed for since the one time I went to a college party and got wasted. I slowly untangled myself from Adrian’s body and ran into the ensuite to grab my clothing and shoes and left Adrian’s room in a quiet hurry.


  


I ran to the door that I discovered was the bathroom and came to an abrupt halt once I saw the cleaner in there. She dropped her sponge from her surprise and I quickly rushed forward to pick it up for her.


  


“I’m so sorry,” I told her frantically, “I didn’t think anyone would be in here.”


  


“It’s quite alright. Are you okay, honey? You look a bit frazzled…” She trailed off, giving me a look of concern.


  


“No, no. I’m fine. I’m so sorry, again.” I smiled nervously, and instantly began making my way out.


  


“Excuse me, miss!” the cleaner whispered just as I placed my hand on the handle of the door. I turned around to find her putting her things in the corner of the bathroom. “I can continue this later,” she said. “You look like you’re in a bit of a rush. How’s about I whip up a quick breakfast for you while you shower? Mr. Kingston does not usually wake up for another 2 hours.”


  


“I’ll decline the breakfast,” I answered. “Thanks for the offer, though. Sorry to inconvenience you. I won’t be long.” I shut the door behind her after she nodded and smiled. After a quick shower, I wrapped my body with a fluffy navy towel that was hanging near the shower. It was then that I muttered a curse, suddenly realizing something important.


  


“Shoot. I forgot my bra in the other room.”


  


I shook my head and took out my phone to dial Amy’s phone number.


  


My body collided into a warm, solid wall just as I heard Amy’s faint ‘hello’ sound from the speaker.


  


“Where do you think you’re going in such a hurry? And naked, too?” Adrian, still sounding groggy, asked as he wrapped an arm around my waist and smirked sleepily down at me. “I-” I stuttered, as I heard Amy’s gasp come from my phone. “YOU’RE WITH SEXY-” I hung up the phone before she could continue and blushed.


  


“I have to go home,” I muttered, remembering that I was in nothing but a towel.


  


“You don’t have keys to get into your home,” he pointed out, his smirk growing wider as he ran his hand through my damp hair.


  


“Yes, I’m aware of that,” I said, trying to keep focus while his distracting fingers played with my hair. “But my f- friend has a spare key th-that I can take.”


  


“At least have brunch with me. Then you can go. I even asked the driver last night to double check the car in case your keys are in there.” His hand dropped to my cheek, and he pulled my face towards his, making me blush again.


  


“I- I don’t think I should stay any longer. Thank you for your hospitality.”


  


I tried to sound as formal as possible, before dashing into the room where my bra was and locking the door securely behind me. Even from behind it I could hear Adrian chuckling, cut only by the sound of another door closing shut.


  


I dried myself off and put on the dress again before re-dialling Amy’s number. The moment she picked up, I said, “Before you burst out with quest-”


  


“YOU’RE AT ADRIAN KINGSTON’S HOUSE?” she screeched into the phone. “YOUR BOSS? YOU’RE AT ADRIAN KINGSTON, YOUR BOSS’ HOUSE?! WHAT THE Bleep HAPPENED LAST NIGHT THAT I WASN’T AWARE OF ALREADY THANKS TO THE WORLD WIDE WEB?!

I opened my mouth to reply to her questions but she cut me off again. “You stayed overnight. Oh my god. You had sex with him, didn’t you? Oh my god he sounded so hot with his deep, gruff British morning voice and sexiness. Was he shirtless? How did it happen? How long did it last? Was he good? Great? Excellent? Indescribable? In a positive or negative manner? Oh my god, I can’t believe you shagged the hottest walking male specimen that currently inhabits this ear-”


  


“AMY!” I said loudly, cutting off her rant. “I did not have sex with him!” I exclaimed as she caught her breath. “Don’t be silly. Why else would Adrian Kingston, let a girl stay overnight?” Amy asked.


  


“When we got back from the event last night, I found out that I had lost my house keys on my freaking door step. So I called Adrian and asked him to search the car to see if they were there, and he said no and that I was staying at his place for the night even though I told him that I could just stay at a motel or something until I went to yours in the morning. He was supposed to meet his Adrianna, his date, to the dinner last night. I don’t know why he stayed with me instead.” I frowned curiously as I remembered Adrian’s comment in the car.


  


Amy gasped. “This is a sign! You have to have sex with him!”


  


“No, Amy! No. This is not a sign. This is what people call bad luck. That’s not even the worst part. Ames, he had…” I trailed off shuddering, before speaking again in a hushed tone. “He had… a boner,” I whispered. I could feel my eyes widening.


  


Amy was silent for a few seconds before she burst into a fit of howling laughter, and I took the phone away from my ear to give her contact icon a flat look before placing it back to my ear.


  


“Are you done?” I asked. I was all alone but I was blushing.


  


“Oh my god. You have honestly made my Sunday. What did you do?” Amy asked, and I heard a chair screech against her tiles.


  


“Well… I don’t actually know.” I sighed. “Can we talk about this face to face? After the devil releases me from hell, I’ll come over and I’ll recount everything – yes, even the way he breathed.” I answered her unspoken question, and rolled my eyes as she giggled.


  


“You know me too well. Okay, fine. But if I find out that you left anything out,” she threatened, “I will choke you!”


  


I laughed before shutting the phone and putting it back into my bag, then sighed and left the room.


  


“Adrian?” I called out, my voice echoing in the long, empty hallway.


  


“He’s in his room, honey!” the maid’s voice responded from the kitchen.


  


“Oh. Thank you!” I smiled in gratitude and saw her wave a spatula in the air as a response.


  


I made my way to Adrian’s room and knocked slightly before opening the door.


  


“Adrian?” I called out, opening the door a little wider, but not wide enough to see inside the room.


  


“You can come in, shortcake,” I heard him chuckle from the other side of the door. “I won’t bite.”


  


“Oh, um, okay,” I mumbled as I pushed the door open and stepped into the room. Adrian walked out of his ensuite with a white towel wrapped around his waist, making his tan skin look even darker as he wiped his hair with another towel. Once he noticed me gawking, he smirked. “’Thought I’d return the favour, shortcake. Is there anything in particular that you wanted?”


  


I cleared my throat and looked down at the floor. My thoughts became jumbled from the shirtless male model in front of me and frowned and bit my lip to pull myself together. “I’m afraid I have to pass up the opportunity of brunch with you. I have other matters to attend to. If you do find my keys, please give me call. I’ll come by and pick them up. Thank you… for letting me stay last night.” The last bit I added with a small smile, before turning to leave the room.


  


“Emily,” Adrian called out.


  


I barely made it two steps away from his room before an arm snaked around my waist and wedged me between the wall and a shirtless body. My eyes widened and my cheeks flushed as I realised he was still in nothing but his towel.


  


“You’re staying to eat,” he stated, a slight frown appearing on his face.


  


“No, I’m not,” I insisted, my expression mirroring his.


  


“Yes, you are. You have to.”


  


“No, I don’t ‘have to.’”


  


“Emily,” Adrian said with a clenched jaw. “I’m your boss, you have to listen to me.”


  


I laughed sarcastically. “Don’t you dare use that tactic in this situation. You’re my boss? When was the last time bosses made their assistants sleep in the same bed as them when there were other rooms available? Or when was the last time bosses blackmailed their assistants into having lunch with them? Or feeling them up? From where I’m standing right now, you should listen to me. Stop being a hypocrite, for starters. Like I’ve told you numerous times before this, stop thinking that everyone you meet will eat off the palm of your hand because you’re ‘Adrian Kingston’ and lastly, stop thinking that you’re going to get me to sleep with you. It will never happen. Oh, and if it ever does? I give you full permission to make me your bitch – something I don’t allow anyone to do. Have a nice brunch, Mr. Kingston. I’ll see you at work tomorrow morning.” I smiled briefly, before putting my heels on and walking out of the penthouse in anger.


  


The sound of glass shattering into pieces caught my attention as the elevator door dinged open, and I looked back at the entrance of the penthouse suite in horror just as the maid came rushing out.


  


“Miss,” she said anxiously, “Please come back inside. M- maybe you can calm him back down?” I saw the fear in her eyes.


  


“He’s never done this before?” I asked in shock as I heard another thing break in the house.


  


“No Miss,” she answered, “and I have worked for Adrian since he was born. The last time he threw a tantrum was when his father had told him that he was in charge of the company; but even then it wasn’t this bad. I never believed he’d get angry over a girl standing up to him.” She looked over at the door of the penthouse.


  


I frowned and bit my lip before nodding. “It’s okay, I’ll take care of this. You can go home if you like.” I gave her a reassuring smile and a squeeze on the shoulder before re-opening the door that I was so eager to leave just 5 minutes ago.


  


“Adrian,” I murmured softly as I placed my bag on the table near the entrance.


  


“What the Bleep do you-” he abruptly stopped once he noticed me standing at the doorway. I had reassured the maid but seeing him this mad, I couldn’t help but flinch from the harshness of his words.


  


“How about I make us some brunch, huh?” I asked as I plastered a fake smile on my face and cautiously walked over to him, not knowing what I was getting myself into.


  


I had broken Rule #3.

thanks for the update

Seems Adrian is falling for Emily
Well some OP

Awwwn Interesting

Chapter Five


  


  


  


What am I doing?


  


I placed the plate full of food in front of Adrian before walking over and taking a seat opposite him on the dining table. We ate in silence, and I internally groaned as I shoved another mouthful of eggs and chomped it down in an inhumanly manner.


  


I did not handle awkward situations well. I was the awkward situation. Was I meant to speak, or leave him be? Adrian didn’t say a word after I had re-entered his house, apart from leading me to the kitchen and telling me not to add any olives because he hated them. We were on the same boat for that.


  


His tantrum instantly stopped after that, and I was met with a silence I was neither comfortable with nor able to break. Was I supposed to start up a conversation? If so, about what? What if conversing ticked him off again?


  


“Can you shut the Bleep up,” Adrian snapped, finally meeting my eyes.


  


“What? I haven’t said anything this entire time!” I exclaimed, putting my fork down in shock.


  


“You don’t have to,” he muttered while ripping off a piece of bread and shoving it into his mouth. “Your facial expression says it all. I’m surprised I’m not eating brain matter right now because your head looks like it’s about to explode.” The thought of my own brain matter being mixed with the food in front of me nauseated me, and I cleared my throat and pushed the plate farther away from me to signal that I was done eating.


  


“Sorry,” I mumbled, gulping down my whole glass of water before getting up and taking my plate to the kitchen.


  


“You barely ate, Emily,” Adrian said in a stern tone. When I turned back around, I found him frowning at me.


  


“I’ve eaten enough.” I glared, before turning back to the sink and pulling at the tap as water came rushing down and spreading onto the plate. I heard Adrian’s chair scrape against the marble floor violently, before I felt his solid torso being pressed up against my back tightly. My breath hitched in my throat as he put his plate of food in the sink before snaking both arms around my waist in a backwards hug. “Why are you so damn difficult with me, shortcake?” he murmured into my ear. “You’re never like this with Allen, or when we’re at work.” I could practically feel the smirk that was implanted on his plump lips as his chin rested on my left shoulder.


  


“I’m only difficult to those who are difficult to me first,” I replied in an even tone, trying to mask the fact that he had an effect on me. “You’re my boss at work, so I have no choice there, and Allen is nice to me, so I’m nice back. It’s not rocket science.”


  


“No, I know that. Rocket science refers to aerospace engineering and focusing on how a rocket functions. Unfortunately, your mind doesn’t have a text book I can read to figure it out like rocket science does – hence why I’m asking the source of what has clouded my mind ever since the day we met. But I can see that I get through to you sometimes. I just have to get close.”


  


I finished washing the plates then turned off the tap before rolling my eyes and turning to face him in an awkward pose that reassured my conscience that my face wasn’t too close to his.


  


“And violate my personal space? Yep, that’s the way to go if you’re planning on winning a girl’s heart!” I faked enthusiasm, earning a chuckle from Adrian.


  


“I never said I was going to win your heart over. I just want to have sex with you.” He shrugged, and my facial features quickly transformed to a venomous scowl.


  


“Not happening,” I snapped, placing my wet hands flat on his broad chest before pushing him away. They left two imprints that looked tiny on his white shirt, but made it almost transparent enough for me to make out his tanned skin underneath.


  


“Why not? I know you want to,” he pointed out, earning another eye roll from me. “Plus,” he added, a smirk re-forming on his lips, “I’m pretty damn excellent at it, so you won’t regret your decision.”


  


“I don’t care how good or bad you are in bed, Adrian,” I declared angrily, “I’m just not that type of girl.” I tried to convey the finality of my decision through my tone.


  


He sighed. “Fine. I’ll just have to win your heart over the old-fashioned way before entering your prized jewel.” The infamous, undying smirk reappeared as I gasped in mortification before my features scrunched into a look of disgust.


  


“Adrian!” I exclaimed as my cheeks instantly flamed. “Don’t ever say that again.” I shuddered as his words replayed in my mind, and looked down at my shoes as I felt my blush deepen.


  


“What? Refer to your lady part as a prized jewel? Why not, shortcake? It clearly is, since you’re not letting me go near it.”


  


“Oh my god,” I frowned. “Will you stop talking about… that so casually? And stop calling me shortcake!”


  


“You’re something different, aren’t you?” he chuckled, amusement brightening his eyes.


  


I was about to reply but was cut off by a short knock on the door. “Mr. Kingston.” A man’s voice came out muffled on the other side of the door. “I found the keys you were talking about in the car.”


  


My head instantly whipped in the direction of the door. “Is he talking about my keys?” I asked, hopeful.


  


“Well, unless there was anyone else using my car that also happened to lose their keys, I’d say yes, they are in fact, your keys, shortcake.” He walked past me with a grin as he went to open the door, and I glared at his back as he took the keys from his driver. “Thank you,” he stated in a simple tone, before shutting the door.


  


I squeaked in excitement and snatched the keys out of Adrian’s hands. “Yay! I can finally go home and get out of his horridly uncomfortable dress and call my parents and do some work and read a book in peace.” I grinned, sighing as I mentally envisioned the plain four walls of my bedroom and my oh-so-comfy sofa in the petite little apartment I worked my butt off trying to buy.


  


Adrian raised an eyebrow at my excitement and smirked, but didn’t say anything as he walked over to the living room. He grabbed a black leather jacket that was thrown carelessly on the sofa and a set of keys, then placed his hand on my lower back.


  


“Come on, shortcake. Let’s get you home.”


  


***


  


“Dad, everything is fine- No, I didn’t call because I was busy; not because I’ve forgotten you guys…Yes, I’ll visit when Blake goes down to see you two. Tell Mom not to worry about this stuff – it’s just a new job, once I get the hang of it, our regular calling schedule will be back. Okay, I love you both. Bye.”


  


I hung up the phone and rolled my eyes at an amused looking Amy, who let out a small laugh once I huffed. “They honestly need to calm down a little.”


  


“Hey, at least your parents care about you. The last time I wasn’t the first to call them was on graduation day at college!” We both burst into a fit of laughter before Amy cleared her throat. “How’s little ol’ Blakey doing anyway?” Amy asked curiously, plopping onto the couch beside me after she had inserted the DVD for Warm Bodies into the DVD player. I shrugged. “He’s okay. As successful as any lawyer would be, I suppose. The last I heard from him was when he asked me for a photo of me. Remember when I told you about that? It was like two weeks ago.”


  


Amy nodded. “Yeah, I remember. Anyway, let’s get back to Mr. Sexy pants!” She squealed excitedly. “So he actually just casually stated that he wanted to fu-”


  


“I swear to god if you continue that word, Amy Hale,” I warned, “I will personally drag you out of my apartment and take you across the hall so you can sit with Mr. Flecture and his wrinkly unclothedness.” We both shuddered at the mental image of the old, hairy man across the hall from me.


  


“Do you? God, he’s such an arrogant jerk to you. I love it!” She shivered with an excited expression, and I gave her a look of disbelief. “What?” She shrugged innocently, “You’re living my dream. Let me have my moment. Anyway, I just want to know what that little tantrum episode was about. I mean obviously it was about you leaving, but I didn’t know he’d be… angry. It’s kind of a turn on, isn’t it?” She grinned as a glazy look transformed her usually playful eyes and I threw a pillow at her face.


  


“Amy! A 25-year-old throwing a tantrum is not a turn-on.” I frowned. “It was pretty weird though… I mean, his maid said that it’s only happened once in his life before… and Suzie told me he deals with not getting his way by sleeping with an endless amount of girls until he feels like he’s satisfied. He is honestly the weirdest person I’ve ever come across.” I frowned in thought.


  


“Come on, he’s nothing compared to sticky Stanley.” We both shared another mutual shudder as the memory of our freshman college days resurfaced in our minds, and the mental image of a tall, lanky boy with slightly crooked teeth and grey eyes sat next to Amy, touching her notebook in class and making it sticky enough to hang on a wall. He did the same thing to a pen I let him borrow. And my arm. I remember taking four showers that day, to try and rub off the sticky fingerprints he left on my arm.


  


“Okay, maybe not the weirdest. But he’s definitely something else…” I trailed off.


  


“Sexy. That’s what else.” Amy giggled as I grabbed the same pillow I used to attack her previously, and threw it at her face again.


  


“You’re impossible when it comes to discussing men,” I declared as the doorbell rang.


  


“That’s why I’m the best person to talk to when it comes to them!” She grinned. I shook my head at her logic and opened the door to greet Molly and Claire, but they beat me to it.


  


“We come bearing cookies and cream ice cream!” Molly announced, grinning.


  


“And lollies! You can’t have a girl’s night without lollies!” Claire added, trailing behind Molly as they entered the house.


  


“Hello to you too,” I muttered, giving them a sly smile as they looked back and gave me sheepish looks.


  


“Hi,” they replied in unison, making both Amy and I laugh. There was a short moment of silence before everyone’s eyes grew wide and I was the first to place my thumb on my nose.


  


“NOT IT!” I screamed loudly.


  


“NOT IT!” Molly and Claire repeated shortly after me.


  


“Aw, man,” Amy whined, “It’s always me.” We laughed. Amy, Molly, Claire and I have had a tradition of an individual in the group being the ‘maid’ for the day ever since we first became close. Amy was usually always the slowest to respond to our method of choosing the maid – but it was the quickest and fairest way to do it.


  


“What would you all like me to make for dinner today?” she asked in an overly phony enthusiastic voice, glaring at us all once we laughed at her again.


  


“Emily, it’s your call today,” Molly declared. They all turned to face me.


  


“Um,” I bit my bottom lip and frowned in thought as I mentally scanned the ingredients I had in my refrigerator. “We’ll just make pasta and hot chips today. I don’t feel like torturing Amy just yet. Go get the plates and chips, Ms. Hale. Chop, chop!” I snapped my fingers and pointed to the kitchen as Amy lazily pushed herself off the sofa and grumbled nothing in particular as she shoved passed us, making us all laugh again.


  


“I want wine as well please, Ms. Hale!” Claire called out, giggling.


  


“And a chocolate bar for me!” Molly added, smirking.“And while you’re in there,” I said, trying to think of a way to complicate my order, “I wouldn’t mind a big cup of cold water. On the rocks.”


  


“Bleep you all!” Amy called out, making us burst out into fits of hyena laughs, Amy joining in from the kitchen.


  


Adrian Kingston was temporarily forgotten at that moment.


  


Almost.

The girls left just past 10:30PM, after Amy had taken her time cleaning the living room and throwing smug looks in my direction. She knew I had an OCD when it came to cleaning my apartment, and it wasn’t long before I broke and told her I’d do it myself. She had laughed and told me she’d text me when she got home, and I smiled, happy to know that she knew me well enough.


  


By the time I was done cleaning the apartment to my standards, it was 11:30PM, and I stripped down to my underwear and a tank top before falling onto the bed with a tired sigh. It was a long day, and all I wanted to do was let sleep engulf me in its endless black nothing.


  


My phone, on the other hand, had a completely different plan.


  


It vibrated on the table beside my pillow, and I indulged in a groan before I slowly dragged it off the table and unlocked it, finding a text message from Adrian: Can I get a picture tonight?


  


I rolled my eyes and sent a quick no before putting the phone down on my stomach, not bothering to lock it. Adrian replied instantly:


  


Why not? It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.


  


I could practically feel him smirking through the phone as I typed my reply:


  


That was a fluke. Goodnight.


  


I didn’t even get to put my phone back down when my phone buzzed again.


  


A fluke that’s going to happen again.
You’ll see. Be in the office at 7:30AM tomorrow.
Don’t be late.


  


I was about to reply telling him I wasn’t going to fall for that trick again when another message came through:


  


I’m being serious this time.
I need to get dressed at the office
and then we need to get started
on the new billboard advertisement for the hotel.
Make sure my coffee is ready as well.
Try not to dream about me too much. Goodnight


  


I glared at the glowing screen of my phone before locking it. I moaned in frustration as I got under the covers and closed my eyes to get some sleep. “You’re early today,” Allen stated with an amused grin as I walked into the small, and surprisingly packed coffee shop grumpily.


  


“You’ve got a full house today,” I responded, leaning on the counter as I checked the time on my phone. 7:15AM.


  


“It’s always this crowded at this time,” he explained. “Rush hour. The usuals, I presume?”


  


I nodded slightly, mumbling a tired ‘thank you’ before he went away, chuckling.


  


“Hey Emily!” Lisa said in a chirpy tone as she handed two orders over to two men in business attire. They gave her the money and exited the shop as I lazily raised an arm in response. She laughed and over to me, getting a napkin for another customer. “Not a morning person, huh?” she asked with a cheeky grin.


  


I shook my head and she giggled before taking another customer’s order.


  


“I’m guessing today’s morning call is real this time,” Allen stated, a slight smirk forming on his boyish features, ”with you getting the coffee before the usual time and all.”


  


“Yes, it is,” I said as he handed over our orders. “I can already tell it’s going to be a long week.”


  


“I wish you the best of luck. Hey, maybe when the week is over, we can go out to dinner and celebrate?” Allen asked, a hopeful look in his eye as I handed him the money for our orders. “Sure. I’ll see. Thanks for the coffee. See you Lisa!” I called out, before lazily strolling out of the shop. I was going to be late, but I was too tired to care.


  


Once I arrived at the office, Adrian was pacing in his room back and forth, looking pissed off. I noticed he was wearing the exact same clothes as yesterday when he dropped me off, and I bit my lip curiously.


  


“You’re late,” he snapped once he noticed me standing in the doorway. I sighed and walked over to his pacing figure, handing him his clothes and shoes before putting his coffee on his desk. “Only by a minute, Mr. Kingston, and that was because I had to collect your clothing from my office.” I stifled a yawn before taking a sip of my latté. “Are you sure it wasn’t because you were too busy throwing yourself at Allen?” He scowled as he yanked his shirt off his body and threw it on the floor. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve blushed and looked down at my ballet flats to avoid staring at his muscular body – but he was currently accusing me of something.


  


“What?” I asked, frowning. “’Throwing myself at Allen’? Where the hell did you get an idea like that?” I exclaimed, putting my latté down next to his.


  


“From the queen,” he snapped sarcastically, pushing his pants down roughly. I gasped and turned away from his almost naked figure, blushing furiously. “From Allen, who else?! You’re going on a date with him this Friday! I didn’t know you were that eager to get into his pants,” he snarled. “What the hell are you going on about, Adrian?!” I retorted, “I’m not going on a date with Allen! He asked me to dinner, as a friend! And I haven’t even said yes yet! I said I’d see – not that my personal life is any of your business, anyway.” I crossed my arms over my chest stubbornly – even though he could only see my back.


  


“Well he doesn’t seem to think that!” he snapped.


  


I almost turned around to glare at him – then I remembered he was changing his clothes.


  


“And your personal life is in fact, my business,” he added. “I can’t have my assistant sleeping around with whoever she meets. It’s unprofessional.”


  


“Oh, but it’s okay for you to do that?” I blurted before I could stop myself. “Where were you yesterday anyway for you to come into work in the same clothing?”


  


“Not that it’s any of your business,” he snapped, and I heard the slight clink of a belt before he continued, “I was at Adrianna’s house.”


  


“A booty call. That’s good for you. Although, it’s still not an excuse to come into the office wearing what you were and-”


  


“And it’s my office. I’m the boss around here. I do what I want. That also means I control what you do. You’re not going to that dinner with Allen on Friday because you have to stay back in the office and set up my planner.”


  


“I can do that on the weekend! You know, when it’s supposed to be done?” I pointed out, getting angrier by every syllable that came out of Adrian Kingston’s mouth.


  


“Well, not anymore. Every second Friday, you and I will stay back in my office and we will organise the planner together. That’s final.” His voice was closer to me now, and I turned around just as he stopped directly in front of me. “If you so much as squeak in disagreement with the new rule, you’re fired. Understood?” He raised an eyebrow as he stared down at my short figure.


  


I pressed my lips into a straight line before pursing them and glaring up at him. “I understand, Mr. Kingston,” I said as evenly as I could, trying to mask my fury.


  


He smirked. “Good. Now tie my tie so we can go set up the meeting room for the billboard ad.”


  


He bended his knees until his face was level with mine, and the satisfied smirk never left his lips as my hand reached out and tied the tie around his neck. I pulled it a bit tighter than what was suitable to show my anger. He just chuckled and pecked my nose before grabbing his coffee and the files he had placed on his desk before walking out of his office, expecting me to follow.

Chapter Six


  


  


  


The rest of the week had gone by at an agonizingly slow pace – even while I was running around like a mad woman who had just lost one of her cats due to Adrian’s constant indecisive behaviour towards the project we were working on. Suzie had given me sympathetic looks most of the time, and even offered to pick up some of the slack I had piled on my plate; but I declined, not wanting to overwork her either.


  


Adrian had also decided that it was a completely appropriate time to let his army of Barbie dolls saunter into his office to do god knows what, leaving me to take all of his crucial calls and basically managing and overseeing the final outcomes for the billboard design. There was hardly any interaction between us after the small argument we had on Monday morning.


  


By the time my work ended on Friday, I was relieved and eager to get home. I just wanted to change into my pajamas and watch the newest episode of The Vampire Diaries. I decided to skip Allen’s dinner offer for the time being – only because this episode would explain to me the whole idea behind Stefan being Silus’ doppelganger – but offered to reschedule it with him on another day. I collected all the paperwork I needed to take home with me and headed to the elevator. I pressed the button to go down, but Suzie called out my name before the lovely ‘ding’ signaling my escape could sound.


  


“Mr. Kingston was just asking about you, dear,” she said as she walked up to me. She too, had a bag slung over her left shoulder and her blackberry in her hand, apparently ready to leave. “He wants to see you in his office.”


  


“You’re kidding,” I sighed. I slumped my shoulders and pouted.


  


She laughed, waving goodbye as I made my way down the hall towards Adrian’s office. I tried balancing the thick piles of paper in the fold of my arm as my bag slipped off my shoulder once I reached out to knock on the door. I heard Adrian’s muffled ‘come in’ before I straightened myself out and opened the door.


  


“You wanted to see me?” I asked, unable to keep a slightly impatient tone from coming out.


  


A corner of Adrian’s lip curled up at the sight of my awkward stance. “We have to work on my planner,” he stated simply.


  


I gave him an incredulous look before I straightened up in frustration. “Seriously? You were serious about that? Come on,” I whined, “it’s Friday night. Don’t you have a girl to sleep with or a party to go to? You’re Adrian Kingston!”


  


“Did you have any plans, Ms. Johnson?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as if to challenge me.


  


“As a matter of fact, I do.” I put emphasis on the ‘do,’ showing that I wasn’t planning on cancelling them anytime soon. Well, sitting on my couch in my pajamas while eating Chinese takeout and watching a television program wasn’t exactly what most 24-year-olds considered to be a plan, but it most definitely was to me. “With who?” he asked, his expression darkening.


  


I hesitated before answering. “Just a few friends,” I stated calmly. Okay, so maybe Elena Gilbert and Damon Salvatore weren’t exactly my friends, but I was hoping the lie would convince him to let me go because he’d feel guilty about making me cancel my ‘plans.’


  


“I can guarantee you that I will have your planner fully prepared by Saturday night and delivered to your doorstep Sunday morning, Mr. Kingston,” I added, hoping it’d help the circumstance.


  


“With who?” he repeated, and this time, it didn’t sound like a friendly question.


  


I gave him an uneasy glance before slumping in defeat. “Fine. You know I’m lying to you. Please, it’s really important that I watch this though! I’ve been waiting for it since March! It’s been way too long! I promise I’ll finish your planner by tomorrow night, to the best standard! But if I don’t go-”


  


“What the hell are you going on about?” he asked, his dark expression suddenly becoming confused as he witnessed my groveling. “Don’t you have a date tonight with Allen that I told you you’re not allowed to attend?”


  


I stopped groveling and turned confused myself. “What? I’m talking about going home to watch the season premiere of The Vampire Diaries!”


  


“Alone?” he asked, giving me a cautious look. “Um… yes?”


  


Adrian studied my expression for a long moment, as if looking for any evidence that I was lying. Apparently satisfied with whatever it was he found on my face, he leaned back into his chair and smiled at me, wryly.


  


“If that’s the case,” his cheeky grin grew wider as he spoke, “you’re not needed anymore. Have a good weekend, and I expect you to be at my doorstep on Sunday morning with my planner.”


  


“Are you serious?” I asked him in disbelief, all confusion gone now. “You were keeping me here with you, just so I didn’t hang out with anybody? Wait a minute – you thought the dinner with Allen was on tonight, that’s why you called me in, isn’t it?!”


  


Adrian just shrugged, but the smirk that remained on his plump lips answered my question more clearly than any words could have. “You’re impossible!” I huffed angrily.


  


“Actually, no I’m not. Impossible in your eyes would be me not letting you go home tonight and staying here solely for my own entertainment purposes. I’m letting you go home, so I’m not entirely impossible yet.”


  


“Yet?” I repeated, frowning.


  


“Well, I’m coming to your apartment – so now you’re welcome to declare me as ‘impossible’.” The wry smile reappeared on his lips, and I just stared at him for the moment, processing his words. I started to laugh nervously, thinking- hoping? - it was a joke, before his solemn expression cut me short. “You’re not serious,” I stated, dumbfounded.


  


“I am.”


  


“No, you’re not!” I exclaimed angrily. “And you’re not coming to my apartment, either!”


  


“It’s either your place, or the office,” he said bluntly. “Choose.”


  


“I choose both,” I said with finality. “I go home, and you stay in the office. Have a lovely weekend, Mr. Kingston.” I turned around to leave.


  


“Since you’re so adamant about not letting me into your home, I guess we’ll stay together in the office then. We can order in pizza? Or Chinese? I don’t mind either.” “Adrian, please!” I said, growing desperate. “You don’t understand how important this show is to me, and I need to watch it tonight! And alone!” I emphasized ‘alone.’


  


I could see a shift in his expression as he became momentarily thoughtful, before some kind of an idea registered in his mind and his face lit up. “Come watch it at my place, then,” he said. “I’ll leave you alone while it’s on!” he added quickly, probably knowing from the indignation on my face that I fully intended to decline his offer.


  


I groaned and leaned against the frame of the door in defeat. “What do you want?” I whined, glaring slightly.


  


“World peace.” That infernal, undying smirk curled in his lips again, but his eyes twinkled in amusement.


  


“I meant, what do you want from me,” I stated flatly, in a tone that matched my facial expression.


  


“Just you,” he replied simply, with a small shrug.


  


I frowned at him. I had to admit, curiosity tugged at me, drawing me towards the idea of going to Adrian’s place. I looked down at my flats and bit my lip in thought, mentally weighing out the Pro’s and Con’s in my mind.


  


• Pros: Adrian had a television that was the size of the wall, and I would no doubt enjoy that. His sofa was comfortable, and the room had surround sound, giving me the ultimate season premiere experience. He also had any snack at the touch of a button due to the hotel’s 5-star accommodations.


  


• Cons: I’d feel slightly uncomfortable in the foreign setting. Adrian would be around, need I say more? I wouldn’t be able to wear what I classified as pajamas – especially not with his prying eyes.


  


My comfort was much more important than the size of the television, so… “No,” I said with a shake of my head, my gaze meeting his once again.


  


“No?” he echoed.


  


“No. I’d prefer to be home alone, where I can pig out without having to worry about wasting your resources or having to worry about you in general, and I’d be able to comfortably wear what I want…” I trailed off, blushing. “You mean no bra and only your underwear under a shirt?” He smirked. “I’m definitely coming along then.”


  


“No, you’re not.” I glared. The conversation was starting to repeat itself, and I sighed in defeat. “We’ll just stay in the office then,” I decided grudgingly. “Since you’re so desperate to have me around.” I looked down at my shoes and glared at the black leather. A mental image of Damon Salvatore’s face formed into my mind just then, and my glare softened into a pout.


  


“I’m glad you’ve finally come to your senses,” Adrian’s mood perked up immediately. “Pizza or Chinese food? Like I said before, I personally don’t mind either; so it’s solely up to you. We’ll work in my office since it’s the most comfortable.” “Whatever,” I muttered.


  


Real mature, Emily. I berated myself.


  


Adrian just threw another amused expression in my direction and I glared before walking over to the sofa on the left side of his office. I placed my papers and bag on the soft furniture before leaving the room without so much as glancing at him.


  


I made my way to my office and locked the door behind me before dialing Amy’s number. She picked up on the third ring.


  


“Hey Em, what’s up?” she shouted into the speaker over the loud music in the background. “Hold on a second, it’s really loud in here. Let me just go outside.”


  


I listened as the music from the phone began to decrease in volume, before I heard a door being pushed open and the music was almost completely gone. “This place is amazing, you should’ve come!” Amy exclaimed excitedly.


  


I sighed. “I’m glad you’re having a good time. Even if I did end up planning on going, I wouldn’t be able to.” As I said this, I felt myself becoming angry again.


  


“Why, what happened?” she asked, concern lacing her tone thickly. I began my short whining rant about how Adrian was making me stay in the office. I said it as briefly as I could so that she could get back in the club. Once I finished explaining, she squealed with delight and – to my annoyance – began laughing.


  


“Are you kidding me? Em! If you still think that man has no interest in you, then you are obviously delusional! He’s making up any excuse to be around you now! I always knew my best friend would be shagged by one of the hottest males walking this earth!”


  


I choked on my own spit and she started laughing again.


  


“Ames! That is not going to happen,” I assured her, before sighing. “I’m going to miss the season premiere. You know how serious I am about my TV shows!”


  


“I know babe, I know. But honestly? You’re 24. I’m not saying don’t watch television anymore – but you have to live a little, and not let them consume your life! How about this, tomorrow night, I’ll come over and we’ll watch it together, okay? For now, go eat some oily takeout and stare at Mr. Sexy Pants all night.” She giggled again and I glared at nothing in particular.


  


“You’re the worst best friend,” I muttered, tracing an invisible pattern on my shirt.


  


She laughed again and I sighed. “Okay, go and have fun in there. And text me when you get home safely! And don’t go home with a stranger that looks like he has an STD!” I warned, smiling a little at her happiness.


  


I practically felt her rolling her eyes. “Okay, mom.” She laughed again before we said our goodbyes and hung up the phone. I turned around to open the door again but let my hand rest on the cool metal as an idea popped into my mind. Adrian was keeping me here by force, so I didn’t have to be cooperative, right? I decided that I was going to give him the silent treatment the entire night.


  


My lips stretched into a smug smile as I opened the door and left my office to make my way over to his. I pushed open his door and Adrian looked up from his position near my things on the sofa. “I ended up ordering pizza, is that okay?” he asked, cocking his head to the side as he waited for my answer.


  


I shrugged, not wanting to say anything. I was hoping he ordered a cheese pizza, because that’s the only kind I liked.


  


“Okay. I ordered cheese because I didn’t know what you liked. Let’s get started.” He beckoned me over and patted the seat beside him, and I made my way over to it slowly, avoiding his gaze in the process. He had moved my papers onto the table in front of the sofa and had the draft planner out in front of him as the main focus of the papers.


  


“I have a crucial conference call next Friday with my business partner in New Zealand,” he said once I was seated beside him. “We need to put that in as the main focus point for Friday.”


  


He shifted toward me, closing the small space that I had purposely left between us. I looked up to meet his gaze and glared. He just looked at me with that grin of his. I sighed in frustration before I moved the position of my work bag to my lap, and rummaged inside it for some spare paper and my pen. Something red flashed in my side vision, but I decided to ignore it as I pulled out my favourite pen in triumph.

I wrote down what he said on the spare sheet of paper I found before turning around to find Adrian’s smug smirk on his face once again. After a short moment, he held up a bright red lace thong by the corners of the garment, and my eyes widened in disbelief as my cheeks flamed from embarrassment.


  


“Are you doing to wear this for me?”


  


“What the hell are you doing?” I shrieked, my voice coming out high pitched from embarrassment. I did not put that in my bag. I didn’t even own anything like that! I desperately raked my memory to see who went near my work bag recently, and instantly glared at the painting Adrian had in his office across from the sofa as I remembered Molly giggling hysterically on the Sunday they were all over. So this was why.


  


“They’re not mine,” I stated, the heat just burning in my cheeks.


  


“Are you sure about that? You don’t have to hide it from me. In fact, it kind of makes me wonder what you’re wearing underneath that sexy skirt of yours right now…” He trailed off and leaned in so that his face was inches away from mine. His infamous smirk never left his lips and my breathing hitched in my throat from the close proximity.


  


I felt one of his hands on my thigh and I instantly stiffened at the contact, unsure of how to react. I thought of my best friend, who was currently enjoying herself at a club. If this was Amy, she’d jump him. But I wasn’t Amy.


  


My shocked expression turned into a frown as my common sense came back to me like an invisible slap to the face. I glared into his hazel eyes before I placed my hand over his to stop it from going any further. “Mr. Kingston,” I told him in a cool voice while I held his gaze steadily. “I’d appreciate it if we focused solely on the work in front of us.”


  


The smug expression never left his face as he stared back at me for a few moments, before he nodded and turned his attention back to the draft planner. He removed his warm hand from my thigh, instantly making the area cold from the sudden exposure.


  


“Of course, Ms. Johnson,” he said. As he studied his schedule more closely, his smug expression turned into a frown.


  


“I need to host a charity dinner next Saturday, so put that in and tell Suzie to organise it. Tell her I want it to be like an auction, where 10 of my female workers are put in front of the audience and auctioned off for the night. Tell her to put the ones she knows to be gold diggers, or just plain easy. You’ll also have to be put in, I’m sorry.” He saw me grimace at the idea and explained, “They’ll get suspicious if I don’t involve my assistant.”


  


“What do you mean ‘auctioned off for the night’?” I asked, suddenly feeling nervous.


  


“Do you remember David Walter?” I cringed as the mental image of the middle-aged man wrapping an arm around my waist resurfaced in my mind. I nodded at him to continue.


  


“Well,” he explained, “he, along with a lot of other men, come to these things. Their wallets are fat and they tend to think with their male region more than their brains.”


  


“You mean like you do?” I raised my eyebrows as a slight sneer pulled at my lips.


  


Adrian glared. “Ha-ha. If we prep you all up professionally, they’ll pay a lot of money to take you home for the night where they can do what they like. The girls are cooperative.”


  


My expression turned disgusted. “The girls may be cooperative but I sure as hell am not! I don’t want to go home with some pervert stranger for the night just because ‘they’ll get suspicious’ if I’m not an option! That’s disgusting.” I scrunched my nose up as I imaged David Walter smiling at me smugly. I shuddered in fear before looking back up at Adrian. “Please, Adrian,” I begged, “Don’t make me do this.”He gave me an apologetic look before his expression turned hard. “I don’t like the idea of anyone taking you home either. I’ll take care of it, don’t worry. For the time being, you’re one of the candidates.” His tone closed off the topic, so I sighed and finished writing the rest of the information down before Adrian’s work phone shrilled with a ring.


  


He got up from his position beside me and answered it swiftly. “Yes.” There was a pause before Adrian spoke up again. “Let him up,” he ordered, before putting the phone back in its position and looking at me. “Pizza’s here,” he announced, taking his seat beside me again. I nodded and began to move all the stray papers around the table to make enough room for the box. Just as I finished, there was a knock at the door. Adrian got up instantly and pulled out his wallet.


  


“That’ll be $14.50,” I heard someone say. I saw Adrian pull out a $50 note and hand it over to the delivery boy.


  


“Keep the change,” he said dismissively, waving the boy off before shutting the door. The smell of the cheesy food hit me like a shock wave, and my stomach grumbled loudly before I could try and stop it from happening.


  


I began blushing furiously as Adrian looked over at me in surprise. He chuckled, placing the box of pizza and the bottle of drink on the table. “Should I have ordered another box?” he teased.


  


“Shut up,” I muttered, avoiding his gaze as my blush deepened. He walked over to his office and opened a side draw, pulling out two coffee mugs and taking his original position on the sofa. “They’re clean,” he assured me as I glanced at the cups with a cautious expression.


  


I took out my pocket tissues and gave them both a wipe over – just in case – before we dug in. By the time we had finished the pizza, we had the whole of next week sorted to Adrian’s satisfaction and I had a rough overview of what he wanted for the week after. We discarded the empty pizza box and drink bottle to the side of the sofa before Adrian took a sip from his cup and spoke up.


  


“I’m going to give you $6,000 for your dress and shoes this time. You can keep the rest if you don’t spend it all. I’ll also get Rita to do your hair again, and you’re makeup-”


  


“Will be done by me,” I cut him off. “I’m not a fan of makeup, Adrian. I prefer to do it myself.”


  


“You look sexy either way – I was just trying to make less of a workload for you.”


  


I blushed and smiled slightly. “Thank you, but I’ll be fine.”


  


“You’ll be more than fine, shortcake, believe me.” His eyes raked over the length of my body, and he licked his lips and smirked.


  


I rolled my eyes and shoved his arm playfully, before focusing my attention back on the planner. “So for the conference next Wednesday, do you need me there?” I asked, picking up my pen again to write any additional notes down.


  


I felt his arm wrap around my waist and I let out a surprise gasp as he pulled me into his solid torso. He looked down at me with a rakish grin. “I need you everywhere, shortcake. Especially in my bedroom where we can have-”


  


“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Kingston,” I warned, placing my index finger on his lips to stop him from talking. He chuckled before I felt him nip a bite at my finger, making another surprised gasp leave my mouth.


  


“Yes, you need to be there taking notes while we talk,” he said, “Who knows, maybe your pretty little head will help us come up with new advertising strategies for our New Zealand hotel.” He poked my forehead a few times before placing a peck on it so quickly I had no opportunity to pull away. I shook my head at his behaviour but moved on, writing down his instructions onto my notebook. I finished with a flourish and checked the time on my phone.


  


“It’s late,” I said, shutting my notebook and placing it in my bag. “I should be getting home.”


  


“Come over,” he said, and I turned back around to him surprise. I opened my mouth to object but he cut me off before I could even begin. “Please, Emily. I won’t try anything. It’ll be like last time.” He looked like a shy child who had just entered a toy store, hope shining in his eyes.


  


“Adrian,” I sighed, his expression making me feel guilty for declining. “I can’t… it’s not right. I mean, we’ve only known each other for two weeks – and the last time I came over was just that – the last time.” I bit my lip as I watched his hope fade and his expression turn dark.


  


He looked away from me before I could see where else it would go.


  


“Fine,” he snapped, extracting his arm from around my waist before getting up from his seat next to me in an instant. “I’ll see you on Monday, Ms. Johnson. Have a nice weekend.” He finished with a cold voice, before disappearing into the unknown room that was connected to his office. He slammed the door shut behind him.


  


I stared at the shiny, glass matte door in shock for a few moments before sighing and packing up the remaining papers into my bag. Adrian was more Bi-Polar than Australia’s weather – which, from what I’ve seen, is pretty bi-polar. And his mood swings always had something to do with me. I slung my bag over my shoulder and wondered why, as I got up from my seat and cast one more look at the door Adrian disappeared into.


  


Just when I thought we were making progress, I thought to myself as I left his office and walked to the elevators.


  


My mind was on Adrian the entire way home.


  


As I turned the key to my apartment, I remembered something important and let out a shocked gasp.


  


The red thong was still in Adrian’s office. Blushing, I shook off the image of Adrian, smirking as he held the garment, which had come unbidden into my mind.

Well done OP

Chapter Seven


  


  


  


“YOU’RE DOING WHAT?!” Amy screeched, dropping her phone in shock. I let out a surprised squeak and picked it up for her as she stayed in the same disbelieving position. “You’re going to be a prostitute for the night?!” Amy asked, in the same high-pitched tone of disbelief.


  


I frowned, not liking the way she was taking the news of me being an involuntary volunteer for the charity dinner on Saturday. “It’s not like I’m doing it by choice,” I grumbled, sinking onto the soft mattress on her bed. “Plus, Adrian said he’ll take care of it. I’m sure he won’t let me go home with a stranger…” Or at least, I hoped he wouldn’t. Ever since our tiny disagreement last Friday, Adrian had been giving me the cold shoulder the entire week so far, only talking to me when it was necessary.


  


“No way. There is no way in hell that I am letting you go through with this. Not you! No! You won’t even look at a guy on the street unless you knew him well enough to know his middle name!” Amy jumped onto her queen sized bed beside me. Unlike me, Amy had to wear flannel pajama pants no matter what season it was – in contrast to my underwear-only policy.


  


“Like it said, I’m not doing it by choice. I’m his assistant; I have to be one of the candidates. Just, don’t worry about it. Can you just go crazy again and find me a dress? Buy yourself a new pair of heels while you’re at it as well; your snakeskin Louboutin’s are getting kind of worn out.” I threw a meaningful glance in the direction of the pointed, red outer sole of the snakeskin printed heels in the corner of her bedroom.


  


Her disapproving expression suddenly changed to one of excitement. “$5,000 to spend!” she declared with a determined expression. “Ah! Okay, let’s do this.” She got under her bed sheets and placed the silver laptop on her thighs. She lifted the screen open and I decided that I was going to catch up on some television while she went shopping for a dress.


  


“No colour scheme this time, right?” she asked, casting a sideways glance at my zoned out expression. I shook my head, not taking my eyes off the television.


  


“You know, I think Adrian will end up doing something really romantic on Saturday that will assure you that your private parts are safe from those horn dogs. You just wait and see.” I turned around to give Amy a flat expression at her smug smile, then it occurred to me that I hadn’t actually told her that we got into a slight disagreement on Friday night, because I was bombarding her with questions about her night.


  


“About that…” I began, a sheepish smile crawling onto my lips.


  


Her head snapped in my direction so fast, that I thought her neck had broken in the process. “What. Haven’t. You. Told. Me.” She said slowly, glaring.


  


I picked at my nails before meeting her eyes again with a guilty smile. “Please don’t kill me! I had just forgotten to mention it to you…” “Well, hurry up then! What happened between you two?! I swear to God, Emily Johnson, if you have withheld the news of a shared kiss between you two I will suffocate you with my pillows.” Her eyes narrowed even further into a death glare.


  


“No, no! We did not kiss. That won’t happen, believe me. We did… kind of get into a fight on Friday night though.”


  


“Over what?!” she exclaimed, and she put the laptop down on the space between us. My eyes briefly flickered over to the bright screen, and I saw rows of gorgeous dresses, but couldn’t stare at them any longer because Amy snapped the laptop shut with her hand.


  


“Sorry. It was really nothing. I don’t know why he’s still upset over it. I mean, it’s not like I haven’t rejected him before…” I trailed off, my own thoughts stopping me from continuing the story. Why was he so worked up over it? I mean, the last time I had gone over, all we did was sleep and eat brunch together. It was nothing major.


  


“What happened?!” she screeched, pulling me back into reality.


  


“Well, we were actually having an okay time, you know? Then I mentioned that I have to get home and he invited me over, again. I said no, and, well, I don’t know. He just became all snappy and disappeared into a door that’s in his office. Then, when I went to drop off his planner on Sunday, he wasn’t home. The maid that cleans his house took it from me and told me that he stayed at a girl’s place.” I shrugged, not really knowing what else to say.


  


Amy gave me a look that I thought would burn my skin. “Did you just give me a brief version of a story involving Adrian Kingston?” she asked, clenching her teeth together angrily.


  


“Ames, are you due for your period soon?” I asked in amusement, as her angry expression turned into one of confusion. “I don’t know. Hey, I’ll check!” she chirped, suddenly cheery again as she reached for her phone and went on the period tracker app that she had installed. “Huh, would you look at that,” she said, before shoving the phone right to the tip of my nose. “I’m due in 3 days.” She smiled widely.


  


I raised my eyebrows at her happiness towards being due for what I thought was a monthly visit from death, but didn’t question her behaviour. “Anyway, it’s getting late, and we both have work tomorrow-” “I have to find your dress by 12AM tonight or else it won’t come in on time! You go to sleep, I’ll take care of it. It’s too early for my bedtime anyway, granny.”


  


I rolled my eyes before switching the television off. “Suit yourself,” I said in mid-yawn, “I trust your taste anyway. Thanks so much, Ames. Goodnight.”


  


“I’m here to help!” she said. “I’ll take a photo of the dress once I find it and show it to you tomorrow before we go to work.”


  


I nodded and set my alarms before taking off my bra and getting in a comfortable position to sleep.


  


***


  


“Suzie, please let me help,” I implored her. “It’s a lot of work to put an entire event together in a week! It’s tomorrow, how about you rest for the day and I’ll do the rest of the last-minute preparations?” I watched her scrawl something down on a sheet of paper.


  


“Oh no, I couldn’t do that to you, sweetie. I’m fine, honestly. Don’t you have an important conference call to be in -” she checked the small clock on her desk before looking back up at me, “-10 minutes?” she asked, raising an eyebrow with an amused expression at my miserable look.


  


“Yes, but-”


  


“Ms. Johnson.” I heard Adrian’s deep British accent from somewhere behind me, cutting my explanation to Suzie off. “We need to set up for the conference call.”


  


I rearranged my features to a neutral expression before turning around and nodding calmly, before picking up the files I had put down beside me and following him down the hall to the elevator.


  


Under normal circumstances, the ride down to the third level and the quiet walk down the hall to the largest conference room in the building would’ve been comfortable and over in under a few minutes. Due to Adrian’s quiet and gloomy attitude towards me though, it felt like it had taken hours, and the high-pitched sound of a cricket stirring into life was all the silence needed to confirm that it was one thing – awkward.


  


Once we reached the conference room, I immediately logged in and began setting up the camera while Adrian got comfortable in one of the seats closest to the large, flat screen that covered almost the entire wall. I placed all the necessary paperwork in front of him before going back to where the Mac computer was and patiently waited for the 10 minutes to be up.


  


Adrian, on the other hand, had no patience at all. “Just call now,” he snapped at me. “I don’t have time to wait.”


  


I instantly jumped and pressed the call button on the flat screen computer. Small beeping noises filled the room, confirming that the connection was secure and that the phone call was going through.


  


After a few more rings, a man appeared on the screen, frowning slightly. “You’re a little early, Mr. Kingston.”


  


“Only by five minutes; I have other matters to attend to,” he said in a cold, snappy tone. In response, the other man’s expression turned to one of pure business and a little fear. “Now, brief me on the previous advertisements used before we begin.”


  


As instructed, the man launched into an explanation of the advertisements they had developed in the New Zealand branch for Kingston Corp.


  


Deciding that was my cue to set up the conference room, I scurried around the table quietly while I set up the next meeting that was going to be held in here in half an hour. I zoned out of the conversation that was taking place in front of me, until Adrian’s voice brought me back to reality.


  


“That is my assistant. You have no business with her.” His harsh tone had lashed out, and my head snapped in his direction, before my gaze trailed over to the man on the screen, who was staring at me.


  


A blush made its way to my cheeks as I awkwardly cleared my throat and continued setting up the paperwork in front of each chair that was placed around the table, until the man spoke up again.


  


“What’s her name?” he asked, and I frowned slightly, thinking, I’m in the same room, you know.


  


“Mr. Evans. If you wish to keep your position – no, your job – then I suggest you listen to my advice when I say that you have no business with her.”


  


I looked over at Adrian to find his jaw clenched as he threw a ferocious glare in the direction of the man on the screen, and my eyes widened slightly. “Sorry, Mr. Kingston,” Mr. Evans muttered. “It won’t happen again.” The conversation steered back to business. The conference call ended about 15 minutes after that encounter, when I was already seated by the computer and ready to switch everything off. Once I was done, I looked over at Adrian for his next assignment.


  


“What do you think we should do?” he asked after a short silence, his voice coming out emotionless.


  


I tried to mask my surprise before answering. “About the improvement? Personally, I don’t believe what they’ve created is good at all. You want to convince the consumer that the hotel is a safe place to stay in with a family; for example, showing what the hotel has to offer children. I mean, there are tennis courts and swimming pools in the New Zealand one as well, right? You also want to show that an individual can relax during their stay there. Show the massaging places and spa resorts you have there as well.


  


“Sex appeal being the only aspect of the advertisement isn’t really going to get you anywhere unless you’re aiming the advertisement at Hot teenagers,” I finished, biting my lip.


  


Adrian looked deep in thought for a few moments, rubbing his jawline and frowning slightly before I saw him nod slightly in agreement. “You’re right. Email what you just said, over to the New Zealand office and tell them I approve.” I nodded briefly to acknowledge his order while writing it down in my notebook as a reminder.


  


“Anything else?” I asked once I was done.

“Have you found a dress for tomorrow’s fundraiser?” he asked, slightly raising one eyebrow in my direction.


  


I got out of my seated position and nodded slightly as the image of the dress Amy had sent me from her phone this morning popped up in my mind. The dress was much more decent than the last one she had chosen, and I thanked her countless times during the morning rush before work. She told me she only bought it because she didn’t want any horn dogs to be perving at my deadly curves; although the dress still barely covered anything and looked like it would stick like a second skin from the top half. Amy had also bought a pair of nude heels to go with the dress, and I squealed in delight once she had told me they were Christian Louboutin’s.


  


“Good,” he nodded, before everything became silent again. I frowned as I realised that Adrian had started the conversation first this time, and spoke before I could stop myself.


  


“You spoke to me,” I blurted, instantly flushing all over in embarrassment.


  


He took in my flushed state thoughtfully, before speaking up. “I always speak to you?” he said, although it sounded more like a question.


  


“No… you haven’t really, uh, um… forget it,” I mumbled, going redder in the face as I looked down at my black skirt.


  


I didn’t hear him get out of his seat, but suddenly, he was standing directly in front of me, his towering form looking down at me as he hooked his index finger around my chin and pulled my head up to meet his gaze.


  


“Tell me,” he demanded, staring into my eyes. My mind blanked temporarily as the intensity of his gaze distracted me from my thoughts.


  


“Uh…” I tried to recall the events that occurred a few minutes ago. “It’s just… Well, I feel as if you’ve been avoiding me for the past week,” I admitted. I broke away from his gaze.


  


“I have,” he responded flatly, making my eyes snap back to his face in surprise. No one with a sane mind admits something like that so casually! I thought to myself as my frown reappeared on my face.


  


“Why?” I found myself asking before my brain could respond to the moving muscles of my lips. He shrugged, suddenly pulling away from me. “You annoyed me last Friday.”


  


My eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “I annoyed you?!” I exclaimed, “Who was the one who was constantly nagging me to stay at their place overnight, even after the countless times I clearly said no?!”


  


“That’s why you annoyed me. If you didn’t say no in the first place, I wouldn’t have ‘nagged’ you to come over.” He shrugged.


  


“What-” I shook my head and closed my eyes as I tried to calm down. “Now you’re making it out like it’s my fault that you didn’t talk to me.”


  


“It is your fault,” he simply stated. I started to smile, thinking he admitted I was right, before his words fully registered in my brain. “You’re impossible!” I declared, huffing in defeat.


  


He chuckled and placed a peck on my forehead before I had time to pull away, and I glared at his smirk. “You know, a synonym for impossible is incredible. So you’re saying I’m incredible. Thank you, but I already know that.” He boasted, pulling me into his torso by wrapping his arms around my waist with an iron grip.


  


I rolled my eyes at his arrogance. “Whatever you say, Adrian,” I said, mocking. “You’re the boss.”


  


The charity fundraiser suddenly appeared in my mind, making a small frown replace my mocking expression. “Adrian… I don’t want to go home with astranger tomorrow…” I trailed off, biting my bottom lip at the thought of David Walter’s sickly smug smile violating me with his eyes as he put money on me.


  


Adrian’s amused expression suddenly darkened, and his iron grip – if possible, became tighter around my waist. “I’ll take care of it,” he reassured me, mirroring my frown.


  


I studied his expression briefly before my mind decided it was safe to trust him, and my stiff body relaxed slightly in his hold, making his frown also disappear and his all too famous smirk return to his lips.


  


“Who knows, maybe you’ll get to go home with me.”


  


My relaxed expression instantly transformed into a glare as my head snapped up to meet his amused gaze.


  


“I’m kidding,” he said. “I can’t participate – I’m the one hosting the event.”


  


Surprisingly, a rush of disappoint flowed through my body as the words left his mouth, and I slumped slightly in his hold. His eyebrows shot up in surprise and I began to blush furiously.


  


“Unless… you want it to happen?”


  


“No!” I exclaimed too quickly, my cheeks heating up even further. “No… I just…” I trailed off, frowning as I quickly racked my brain for a valid excuse. The reality of the situation was I didn’t even know myself. “I just prefer to go with you than with anyone else,” I finally said, both to him and myself. “I’ll take care of it, Emily,” he reassured me, looking down at me with an expression I hadn’t seen come across his handsome features before, “I promise.”


  


I nodded before smiling slightly at him. “I know you will. Thank you.” I wrapped my own arms around his waist as I pulled him into a hug. Adrian instantly pressed himself against me and rubbed my back comfortingly, making the small smile stay glued onto my lips from the comforting gesture.


  


“Mr. Kingston, I – oh! I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything!” Suzie squeaked, and I instantly flushed as I tried to pull away from Adrian – who kept me in his iron grip hug.


  


“You’re not interrupting, Mrs. Brown. What can I do for you?” Adrian asked, smirking down at me as he said the words. I looked over to Suzie in mortification and found her giving us an amused glance before clearing her throat.


  


“I received a call from your parents, confirming their appearance at the fundraiser. Where would like them to be seated?” she asked, smiling slightly as the blush continued to blaze my cheeks.


  


“Put them on my table. I also need you to add an extra chair in between Allen and me. Anything else?” he asked, finally tearing his gaze away from my mortified expression to look over at Suzie, who was scribbling down the new information in a small notepad she was holding.


  


“No that was all, Mr. Kingston.” She gave me one last amused glance before scurrying down the hall. As soon as she was out of earshot, my head snapped back towards Adrian’s smirking expression and I glared.


  


“Let go. Do you know what she was probably thinking when she saw us?!” I exclaimed, placing my hands on his muscled arms in an attempt to pull them away from my waist.


  


“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” He chuckled at my failed attempt to move his arms, and I huffed and slumped in his hold in defeat, already tired from trying to pry his arms away.


  


“It is a bad thing!” I exclaimed, groaning as his smirk grew at my miserable state.


  


“Come on,” he said suddenly, ignoring my attempts to reason with him. “Let’s go get some lunch.”


  


I frowned, giving him a confused look. “You have a meeting in here in, like, 15 minutes,” I pointed out.


  


His grip around my waist began to loosen and disappointment took me by surprise once again as it flooded through my veins. I didn’t show it this time though, and it didn’t last long because he had left one arm around my waist and pulled me into his side as he shrugged and began walking out of the conference room.


  


“I was merely going to be here to decide the final outcome of the meeting. They can tell me the proposals they came up with later and I’ll tell them which one I want. I’m the boss, remember?” He smirked, slightly squeezing my size with his arm and I instantly began blushing again. “It’s not my lunch break yet,” I argued, before I kept my eyes glued to the floor as we passed the marketing department – which I recently found out is where all of Adrian’s ‘special’ workers were located. The idea of the girls being in his office began to anger me, before my eyes went wide with realisation and I kept my face blank. What the hell?


  


“Again, Shortcake. I’m the boss.” He reminded me, pressing the elevator button before looking down at me and smirking once again.


  


“Right, right. Sorry, Boss.” I teased him as the elevator door ‘dinged’ open, signaling for us to enter the spacious square area. He chuckled before pressing the ground floor button and the elevators began to slide shut. Just before they closed completely, I saw Anna and a few other women glaring daggers at me – as well as Adrian’s hand that was wrapped around my waist – and I frowned slightly before the doors completely sealed off any eye contact I could have with them.


  


“Try not to look as sexy as you did at the business dinner tomorrow night, okay? I don’t want anyone bidding on you.” Adrian said, glaring slightly at the silver doors in front of us.


  


I turned to face him and frowned. “Why are you so insistent on me doing my hair professionally and wearing expensive dresses then?” I asked.


  


“That’s just because I like to spoil you.” He shrugged, as we reached the ground floor. “That, and the fact that you get all dolled up because I told you to; not any other man.” He smiled rakishly and I rolled my eyes at the last part, blushing as we made our way over to a sleek, black Audi modelled sports car. Adrian pulled out a set of keys from his pant pocket.


  


My eyes widened at the beauty before my eyes before I looked over at Adrian with a desperate expression. “Please tell me that’s the car we’re taking, and please tell me you’re going to let me drive it.”


  


“You’re privileged I’m even letting you inside it. My best friend hasn’t even stepped foot in her. She’s my baby.” He patted the sleek black metal lovingly, before wiping the spot he touched with his suit sleeve, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m being serious. No one, apart from myself, has been in this car. It’s that special to me. Consider yourself very special.” He smirked, before getting in the car and opening the door from the inside – which opened upwards instead of outwards – making me fall in love with it even more.


  


“I think I’m in love,” I sighed as I slipped into the smooth, red leather seat and let the smell of the car engulf my senses. It smelled strongly of Adrian’s musky scent, and new leather.


  


“I knew it’d only be a matter of time before I got you to fall for me,” Adrian teased, making me shake my head at him in amused dismay.


  


“I was talking to the car,” I grinned, winking, and he raised an eyebrow before his own grin abruptly broke out, taking me by surprise. His pearly white teeth shone in a straight line, surrounded by his dark red lips. Deep dimples completed his million-dollar smile.


  


I realised then that I was staring, and turned away, going red in the cheeks again.


  


“Let’s go eat,” I mumbled, pressing the button down firmly for the door to seal off the outside world from the beauty of the car. I barely heard Adrian’s sigh as the car roared to life, and he sped down the road in an instant, leaving my embarrassed thoughts behind at the office as I squealed in excitement.


  


I loved my job.

I'm so loving the chemistry between Adrian and Emily.
Thanks for the update

Ann2012:
I'm so loving the chemistry between Adrian and Emily.
Thanks for the update

I just hope d chemistry stay that long.

Wow I think Adrian loves Emily