Authors: Annabelle Eaton
I gulp as his eyes flick to my lips then
back up. The energy between us sparks and heat rushes between my legs. “You
have too many meetings,” I reply breathlessly.
He smiles. “Tell me about it. Well, I’ve
got to go and be bored to death for the next hour. Could you take the files on
my desk to Samia, please? After you’ve finished your shopping or course.”
He laughs as he leaves my office. Not to
self: close the shopping tab when the boss walks in.
Smiling, I sit back down at my desk. It
wasn’t a date. Wow, they had to crash a meeting to get Isabel a non-date with a
man. Things really are getting worse for them. I almost feel sorry for my
sister.
Chapter Nine
I walk into the house with a huge, smug
smile on my face. Things between me and Aden may be colder than the Antarctic
right now, but at least he wanted to spend time – and naked time –
with me. Mum and Isabel are sitting in the dining room drinking tea; they look
up as I enter the room. How they don’t die of boredom doing nothing all day, I
don’t know.
“Hey,” I say and sit down.
“Hello, Amelie,” Mum replies politely,
gesturing towards the tray of tea.
“No thanks. So, how was your day?”
Isabel frowns, looking at me like I’m crazy.
I wonder after how many more people that look at me like that I should consider
get myself committed? Perhaps she’s just wondering why I sat with them
voluntarily. “Very good, thank you. How was work?” She had to force that out. I
don’t get why working is such a problem for her and the painfully boring women
she hangs out with. I’m so lucky that the lazy, boring, judgmental and stuck-up
gene skipped me.
I shrug and try my hardest not to look too
smug. “Awesome.” As usual I receive a sour, sucking on a lemon look for my
choice of words. I’m not supposed to use words that make me seem my actual age.
“Lunch good?” I ask, staring straight at Isabel.
She smiles, her green eyes glistening.
“Very good. Aden is incredible.” I smirk, knowing exactly how incredible he is.
“I’m thinking of asking him to accompany me to the charity ball.”
“We’ll be in Dublin then.”
“We?” Mum pipes in.
“Yes. Business trip, so ow, we won’t be
able to make it.” I pout my lip, pretending to be upset. Inside I’m dancing.
“Right,” Mum replies, blinking heavily in
shock. A woman going away for anything other than leisure or a shopping
weekend. “And you’ll be going with Aden?”
I nod. “Aden, Richard and Richard’s PA,
Amanda Fell. Anyway, I would love to stay and chat, but I have things to do.” Like
eating soap or sticking pins up my nails.
“See you at dinner. Seven o’clock please,
Amelie.”
“I know what time dinner is, Mum.”
“Then would you please try to make it on
time.” She said the words polity, but they are laced with sarcasm.
I stand up, placing my hand over my heart.
“Of course I can.” Walking out of the room, I roll my eyes.
My phone starts ringing as I step into my
room. “Hello?” I say, not even bothering to look at he caller ID.
“I can see you.” Immediately, I stand still
and the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. What? Looking at the
screen is no help as it reads: Unknown. Am I being stalked? But who the hell
would want to stalk me?
“Who is this?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” the muffled
voice says.
“I didn’t ask for the fun. Oh my god, if
you start asking what my favourite scary movie is I’m gonna-”
“Amelie, it’s Aden,” he says, chuckling
darkly.
I blow out a sigh of relief. “You calling
for a reason or just creeping?”
He laughs. “Creeping?”
“Never mind. What do you want?”
“Well,” he says, and the tone in his voice
tells me he wants something. “How would you feel about a working lunch
tomorrow?”
“What?”
“I know it‘s a strange concept to you as
you barely work when you’ve supposed to today, but tomorrow I’m meeting with
someone to go over new investment and I’d like you to attend.”
“Okay. What do I have to do?” I thought the
investment people are in Dublin? I suddenly realise I’m pretty clueless about
all this business stuff. But then I’ve never studied it. Part of me wants to,
though. I’d love to eventually do something of my own, to work for myself.
“Nothing,” he replies. I frown. What the
hell is the point of going if I’m going to sit there like a spare part? He
groans. “Okay, your mum and sister will, apparently be at the same restaurant,
and I don’t want to be alone with them. No doubt they’ll corner me after the
meeting.”
“Really?” I say enthusiastically. “So by
coming tomorrow I’ll be doing you a favour right?”
“What do you want, Amelie?”
“Hmm.” I pause to think. What did I want?
Money? Diamonds? Chace Crawford and Kellan Lutz tied to my bed? Last one,
definitely the last one.
“How about double pay for tomorrow and an
extra weeks holiday,” he offers. Now I’m not stupid; that is a good offer,
too good for a first offer, which means he’s desperate, and if he is desperate,
I’m getting more out of this.
“A months double pay and two weeks extra
holiday,” I counter.
“Amelie,” he says, groaning.
“You don’t think an hour of my mother is
worthy of all that?” My God he is getting away with barely anything in return.
“Yeah, fine. It’s a deal.”
“Awesome! Good doing business with you. Oh
and is this guy the same as the Dublin ones?”
“Yes, he’s in London for the week on other
business but has made time for me. It was good doing business with you too.
Goodbye, Amelie.”
I hang up and change into a long t-shirt
and leggings so I can chill out before I have to do all the fake smiling at
dinner. Lying down on my bed, I lazily use the remote to turn on my stereo.
Music is the only reason I haven’t murdered my entire family yet. It
de-stresses me. Whenever Mum is being a stuck up cow – which let’s face
it, is ninety-nine per cent of the time – I come upstairs and listen to
music.
I must have fallen asleep because I wake to
Isabel shaking my arm. “Amelie, dinner,” she snaps, frowning in annoyance. The
clock in front of me says it’s five minutes past seven. Great, I’m going to get
shit for being late.
Isabel walks into the dining room before
me, trailing back a bit is my plan, she’s my human shield, and something I can
shove at Mum if needed.
The first thing that registers as I take my
seat is how pissed both my parents are. They have matching angry eyes. After
years of marriage, they’ve become the same person. Christ it’s five damn
minutes, yet they’re staring at me like I’ve just murdered a litter of bunny
rabbits. “So, what’s for dinner?” I ask politely, smiling as if nothing was out
of the ordinary.
“Do you know what time it is, young lady?”
Dad asks. Uh oh, young lady means deep shit for Amelie.
“Why yes father, it’s…” I trail off,
looking at my watch. “Eight minutes past seven.”
“I think you should take your dinner in the
kitchen tonight, Amelie. In fact, for every time you’re over five minutes late
you’ll eat in the kitchen,” Mum says sternly as if she’s delivering a
punishment. My mouth drops open. That’s all I have to do?
Smiling as I pick up my plate, I walk
through the dining room and into the kitchen. Every night I’m coming down seven
minutes late. Wow Mum really doesn’t know me at all. Punishment would be eating
with them and listening to how amazing Isabel’s future is going to be and how
I’m going to end up working in McDonalds, living in a flat above a kebab house
with two toddlers running me ragged. Even if that is my future, at least it’d
be real.
The staff are preparing dessert as I eat.
They look up but don’t say anything. I’m not sure if they’re even allowed to
speak if they’re not spoken to.
While I eat dinner, I wonder if when I move
out I will still see my family, or if it’ll just be at Christmas and Birthdays?
Usually when you move out of your parents’ house they help you decorate and buy
you a house-warming present, but I can’t see my parents doing that. If I move
in with some rich man to become a housewife and mother, it’d be a completely
different story. Though we don’t get on, I still love them. Will that be enough
for them to be happy for me, even if they didn’t agree with what I choose?
I inhale my food, not needing to be all
lady-like about it as required by my mother and shoved the plate in the
dishwasher. Normally someone would appear and take the plates away – I’m
not actually allowed to do it myself. Once back in the safety of my room, I
grab chocolate from my mini fridge and lay on the bed to watch Sex and the City.
Now those women know how to live!
Chapter Ten
Thing have gotten progressively worse. My
feelings for Aden are growing at a frustratingly fast rate – they should
be shrinking – and I want to jump him all the time. Seeing him every day,
looking like a fucking model in an expensive tailored suit is painful. I saved
him from Mum and Isabel at the lunch meeting, one look at me and they never
even came to say hello. Things are likely to get even worse because today is
business trip day, meaning time alone with him away from work.
Standing at check in at the airport, I can
barely take my eyes off him as he lifts our suitcases to be weighed. He’s all
casual in ripped jeans and a black t-shirt. The muscles in his sexy, sexy arms
flex as easily picks up my heavy case.
“Millie?” Aden says. I snap my head up to
his eyes to see him, unsurprisingly, smirk at me. That wasn’t one of my
smoothest moments.
“Yes?” I reply. He chuckles and gestures
with his head towards his dad, who is walking towards departures. Oh we’re
leaving. “Let’s go then.” I hold my head up high as I walk past a still
smirking Aden. Bastard.
I’m bored. I’m beyond bored. Why do you have
to get to the airport like six weeks before your flight is due to leave anyway?
Aden and Richard are talking sports and Amanda is being just dull. So far all
she’s is talk on the phone to her girlfriend about how desperately she misses
her already. Have some damn self-respect; it’s only been an hour. If you can’t
live for an hour without each other, you need to get a fucking hobby. Perhaps
I’m being a little judgemental, but I’m frustrated.
My eyes start to feel heavy, not because
I’m tired but because there is literally nothing else to do. I didn’t even have
the sense to bring a magazine to read, but that was because I thought we’d
actually talk to each other, and not about football.
“You alright, Amelie?” Amanda asks, finally
hanging up the phone, but not first – no that was for her girlfriend to
do.
“I’m fine,” I reply, trying to force my
eyes to stay open. Maybe if she’s done being mushy, she can talk to me and keep
me from collapsing. “You looking forward to this?”
“Not really. I’m going to miss Carla.” Oh
God we’re just gonna talk about Carla now. “We’ve been together almost three
years now.” Did I ask? I nod politely and smile. “I think she’s the one.” Lucky
her.
“That’s great.”
“I’m thinking of asking her to marry me,”
she says and lets a squeal out of her mouth that makes her sound like a
thirteen year old that’s just seen One Direction on the TV. Well at least she’s
happy. “So what about you, anyone special in your life?”
“Nope.” The words practically cut their way
out of my mouth.
“Well don’t worry, you’ll find someone.”
The problem is; I have found someone I really like. It’s just my shit luck that
he’s my boss. “There is someone!” she exclaims so loudly I jump in my seat. Out
of the corner of my eye I see Aden watch our exchange closely. “Who is he
then?” Oh dear God shut up woman!
I clench my jaw. “No one.”
“Oh, of course there isn’t,” she says
sarcastically. I’m seconds from ramming my fist down her throat to make her
shut up. This is so awkward I squirm in my seat. Aden is still staring at us. I
hate my life. The uncomfortable silence is broken by Amanda’s phone ringing.
“Hi babe,” she says. After half an hour listening to one side of their
sickeningly sweet conversation, I never thought I’d be thankful to hear more,
but I am.
I pick a dark smudge on the green carpet
and stare at it like a stalker through a telescope. Aden’s gaze burns into the
side of my head, but I refuse to meet his eyes. I know that if I do he will
know it’s him. I’m sure he already knows, but I don’t want to see it.
Sighing, I finally flick my eyes up to the
clock, and then go back to the safe dirt patch. Time is passing too slowly. Why
is it when you’re bored time decides to screw you over and slow down?
What seemed like a lifetime later, our
flight is called. I jump up and head towards the gate, leaving the other three
behind. “Thank god,” I mumble as I hand over my ticket.
Of course, I’m sitting next to Amanda on
the plane. Her phone has been switched off so at least I won’t hear her and
Carla telling each other to hang up again. After the fifth time, I wanted to
launch the damn thing at the wall.
“Buckle up,” Amanda says, grinning as she makes
a big show of clicking the seat belt in. She’s a funny kind of thirtysomething.
I smile and do the same – though less dramatically. This is going to be a
long flight, and I swear if I have to sit here and listen to her chattering
about her relationship the whole time I’m pushing her out of the plane. I hate
happy couples. And men.
Aden and Richard are next to us, but we’re
separated by the isle. Since Amanda’s annoying ‘you so love someone’ we haven’t
spoken. Feeling confident and brave, I turn my head. He smiles as we make eye
contact. All right that’s not so bad
“You okay?” he asks a little awkwardly.
I chew on my lip for a second. “Yeah, you?”
“Yeah.”
Okay perhaps it is so bad.
Think of something to say
. Not something
embarrassing but something normal, intelligent even. “So the plane goes pretty
fast, huh?” I hold my breath. Why do I even bother?
Aden is clearly fighting a smile. Arse.
“Yeah, it goes very fast, Amelie,” he replies. The teasing tone in his voice
makes me want to shove him out right after Amanda. I look forward and close my
eyes. Why can’t I just be normal? I need a bank of small talk to pick from
rather than spilling out the most embarrassing, random crap.
Half an hour into the flight and Amanda is
fast asleep. Richard disappeared to the bar a while ago, leaving me and Aden
alone. “Come sit with me,” Aden says, reaching his hand out. I want to say no
and throw my vodka and coke in his gorgeous face, but I make the mistake of
looking into those blue eyes. My traitorous heart skips a beat, and I
immediately get up. He scoots over to his dad’s seat as I sit in his. Laying
his head on the back of the chair he stares at me.
“What?”
“You’re beautiful,” he whispers.
My stupid heart leaps and my breath catches
in my throat. “Are you drunk?”
He smiles. “No. I’m sorry for everything.”
“What? You are drunk, aren’t you?”
“Millie, I’ve had one beer.” He’s using
Millie a lot more now. “I’m sorry for confusing our relationship.”
I gasp, faking shock. “We’re in a
relationship?”
Aden rolls his eyes and sighs. “You know
what I mean. I’m not sure how to explain how you make me feel.” A smirk pulls
at his lips. “Well when you’re not making me laugh.” Great, glad my fuck ups
amuse him so much. “But mostly you make me want to take you away and never let
you go, to leave the suffocating lives our parents want us to lead and be
completely free.” I can’t speak. Something is wrong with my vocal chords
because I cannot physically speak. Am I dreaming? Have I fallen asleep too? I
look around, trying to see if anything looks dream like, besides what he’s
saying to me. “What are you looking for?” Aden asks, frowning.
“The troll.”
“The troll?” he repeats slowly. “And why
would you be looking for a troll?”
“He’s always in my dreams,” I explain.
Oh no. I’m not dreaming. I look back at
Aden, grimacing.
“So I basically bare all, tell you how I
feel and all you do is search for your imaginary troll?”
I hold my finger up. “Dream troll. He’s not
imaginary; I’m not five.” Yes, I fully understand that my explanation does
not make the situation any better, but if he’s going to tease me he may as well
have the facts. A lot of people have something in their dreams that they see a
lot, a person or a thing. Mine is a troll. Sorry but I have no control over it.
“I don’t even know what to say to that.”
“Good! Anyway, where were we?”
He snorts once. “Really? You want me to
continue?”
I nod, leaning a tiny bit closer to him.
There is nothing I want more than for him to continue. “Yes. Sorry, you have my
full attention now.”
“I think the moment’s gone, Millie.”
I put my hand on his hard, muscular forearm
– for my own kicks. It works; a jolt of electricity passes through my
whole body, paying extra attention down south. “Please, Aden.” He sighs and
captures my hand in his own.
“I like you, Amelie. I like you a lot more
than I should. I know it’s not really a good idea to start anything, but that
doesn’t mean I don’t want to.”
“You’re confusing as hell, you know that.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be. It’s just,
I’ve worked so hard to get the business to where it is and, unfortunately,
reputation is hugely important.”
“And having an affair with your PA isn’t
good for the image,” I snap, pulling my hand away. Why the hell does it have to
be him? Why someone in my family’s circle? All that matters to them is
appearance and what everyone else thinks.
“Amelie, I didn’t mean it like that.” He
grabs my arm before I can move. “Please just hear me out.” I sit back, folding
my arms over my chest. This had better be good. “I didn’t say you weren’t worth
it so don’t start thinking that. I built this up from nothing, sure my father’s
business is linked, but he has nothing to do with mine. I’m damn proud of where
it’s going, and I don’t want to screw it up.” Did he or did he not basically
just say I’m not worth screwing it up then? “Us having an affair as you put it,
won’t be good for not only my reputation but the company’s-”
“You’re contradicting yourself.” Oh my God
what’s wrong with him?
“Will you bloody let me finish? Jesus
you’re so frustrating!” He laughs a little and places his hand on my knee.
“What I’m
trying
to say is I want us
to do this properly. No affair, just me and you. Out in the open. Come one a
date with me?” Wow. Did I hear that right? He wants to go on a date? I’ll
admit; I didn’t see that coming. His lips press against mine for a second,
sending my heart into a frenzy again. “Come on a date with me?”
I smile and my body busts alive, throbbing
painfully. “I’ll go on a date with you if you come to the bathroom with me.”
Aden’s face lights up like a kid’s on
Christmas and then falls. “But I don’t have any condoms.”
“I have the injection.”
“Then you’ve got yourself a deal,” he
mumbles, slamming his lips on mine in a desperate kiss.