The Assistant (3 page)

“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 in 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.