The Assistant (9 page)

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 walked 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.