Once he noticed me staring, he snapped out of his daze and blinked a few times before looking at me, and I thought I could see a faint pink colouring on his tanned cheeks, showing me that he was blushing. He covered it up with a smirk. “Yes, Shortcake. Very good! Now how to do you spell that?” he said slowly, treating me like a kindergarten child.
My excitement faltered slightly as I glared as his mocking attitude, before I ran over to him and grabbed him by his wrist, dragging him over to the sea creature. “Isn’t it so beautiful?” I murmured, getting lost in its bronze/red shell colour.
Adrian sighed beside me and I turned around – to find him staring at me with the same glazed expression yet again, making me flush. “W- What is it?” I stuttered, feeling self-conscious under his gaze.
He snapped out of it once again at the sound of my voice, and shook his head, frowning as he clenched his jaw.
“Nothing,” he said, avoiding my gaze. “Let’s get back inside and spend the last few hours here indoors.”
I frowned and bit down on my bottom lip curiously, but didn’t question it as he dragged me away from the sea creature, back to the beach house in silence.
***
By the time I had finished washing up the cutlery we used to make our lunch for the beach, showering, and re-packing my suitcase neatly, the sun had set, turning the light blue waves right outside the beach house into a dark navy – almost black colour. Adrian had gone out to the stores that were a street away from the house to buy a movie while he waited for me to finish my shower, and returned with
Law Abiding Citizen,
making me grin broadly at the excellent choice.
He suggested that we watch the movie in bed in case we fell asleep, so that we were comfortable before the early flight tomorrow morning, and I nodded in agreement at his logic.
“Just wear my shirt, Shortcake, it’s not like I’m going to fondle your body at the sight of Gerard Butler.” Adrian smirked, making my eyes go wide with shock as a blush crept up towards my cheeks. “Well,
I
won’t. But who am I to say that
you
wouldn’t want to? That’s it, isn’t it? I’ve finally figured out what makes your prized jewel click! You want me to act like a murdering psychopath? Brilliant. Who do you want me to kill first?” he asked, chuckling once I threw a pillow in his direction.
“I told you not to
ever
refer to my… lady parts using that phrase ever again!” I groaned in disgust.
“Okay, okay. I won’t do it again. But is my theory right? That’s why you don’t want to wear my shirt! Because it’ll be noticeable if you touch-”
“
Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Kingston!”
I snapped, glowering at him. He chuckled while putting his palms up in defense, before climbing into the bed and pressing the play button for the movie to start.
I began to climb into the bed but jumped out once Adrian hooked his thumbs to the waistband of his navy coloured boxers. “What the hell are you doing?” I shrieked, covering my eyes with my hands in shock, before slightly moving once finger to take a peek at his current actions.
“Wear your normal sleepwear, or these come off,” he threatened with a smirk, and I removed my hands from my eyes in disbelief before sighing in frustration.
“Turn around,” I snapped as I snatched his shirt off the bed. A smug smile curled its way onto his lip as his body shifted to the other side of the room so that his back was facing me, and I glared at the flawless tan bitterly as I shoved my mini shorts down my legs and pulled off the tank top. Once I slid the shirt over my body and pulled off my bra, I climbed into the bed.
“Idiot.” I scowled as he turned back to me with a smirk before inching closer towards me so that the side of our bodies were squashed together.
“Shhh, you’ve missed the first five minutes of the movie,” he whispered into my ear, making me glare at the television screen as I tried to keep my expression from reacting to his hot breath against my neck.
About halfway through the movie, Adrian spoke up again. “I need you to do something important for me when we get back to the office tomorrow,” He stated, making me turn over to him with a curious frown.
“Of course,” I said, laughing a little, “I’m your assistant, that’s my job.”
“No, no…” He trailed off frowning as he clenched his jaw. “I
need
this to happen. I don’t
want
it to.” He specified, glaring slightly.
“Adrian…” I trailed off, not liking the sound of it, or his expression towards the favour. “What is it?” I finally asked.
“I’ve been talking with… someone… who I’ve managed to negotiate one of the best business deals I’ve ever heard of. It’ll be great for the hotels, and my father’s real estate company combined,” he explained, looking over at me.
“Well, that’s great!” I grinned. “Who’s it with? And what’s my role in all of this?” I asked, not seeing the negative aspect of his favour yet.
“Well… the only way they’re going to be convinced is if you talk to them,” he stated, not looking me in the eye. My curious frown returned as I glared at him slightly.
“Who’s ‘them?’”
“Walter Inc.,” I barely heard Adrian mumble, making me freeze in my position beside him.
“As in…” I trailed off.
“David Walter’s business,” Adrian confirmed my thoughts, making me feel queasy. “He said the only way he’d agree to the deal is if you and spoke with him in a room alone for a while.”
“No fucking way!” I snapped, jumping out of the bed and glaring at Adrian. “Being ‘alone in a room’ with that pig is practically signing me up for sexual assault!” I exclaimed angrily, fuming at the fact that Adrian was even considering this offer.
He glared up at me before replying. “He won’t do anything. The room you two will
talk
in will have surveillance cameras and I’ll be right outside the door if anything happens,” he explained in a snippy tone, trying to end the topic.
I wasn’t having that. “No way! David Walter is not coming
near
me, whether it was in a room filled with thousands of people or whether it was him and me alone. It’s not happening.” I crossed my arms over my chest before my anger dried up in my mouth. “Is this…” I trailed off, my eyes widening. “Is this why you brought me to California? To convince me by trying to spoil me?”
“What? No!” Adrian growled, getting out of the bed to walk over to me. “And you have no say in the matter. I am your boss!” he professed, raising his voice slightly.
“What boss sets up their assistant for sexual assault?!” I snapped back, scowling. Adrian let out a frustrated growl before stepping closer towards me, making me take a step back in response as my back collided with the cold, glass window.
“Do
not
test me, Emily,” he warned in a low voice, closing the small space in between us completely by pressing his tall figure against mine.
“I’m not testing you,” I declatred firmly, glaring up at him. “I’m telling you. It’s not happening.”
He loomed over me, and I realised then just how close we were to each other. The realisation seemed to settle into Adrian’s consciousness at the same time, and his eyes slowly left mine and trailed down to my lips. I licked them out of habit, and let my own eyes drift to Adrian’s plump lips, duplicating his movement. My chest began to rise and fall rapidly as the thought of his lips pressed against my own flashed through my mind, and my eyes snapped back up to meet his.
He looked down at me with a furious frown before his eyes briefly went back to my lips. He let out a low growl and slammed his palms against the glass windows beside my head, making my eyes widen in shock as the glass vibrated beneath my body from the force.
“Fuck it,” he muttered, before I felt one arm circle around my waist and pull me closer and another tangle itself within my blonde waves. He crashed his lips onto mine with a strong force, sending shock waves throughout my entire body.
I gasped and stood frozen in shock for a moment before my lips began to move against his, hungrily. My fingers wrapped around the back of his neck and gripped his soft hair, making him groan at the gesture. My breathing became heavier as his tongue licked my bottom lip, before he forced my mouth open impatiently.
My whole body was on fire as the arm around my waist hoisted my body up against the glass window, making me instinctively wrap my legs around his waist for support. Some tiny part of me at the back off my mind was telling me this was a
very
bad idea – but I ignored the small, irritating voice as the kiss deepened –before a gunshot sounded from the television screen; washing over me like a bucket of ice cold water. I pulled back abruptly, untangled my fingers from his hair and jumped off – and away – from him.
“I- I-” I stuttered in my flustered state, looking at him with wide eyes as my mind replayed the kiss. “Oh my god,” I whispered to myself, running a hand through my hair as the reality of the situation settled into the rational side of my brain.
“Emily…” Adrian trailed off, making my shocked eyes look back up at him. “That-”
“Never happened,” I stated as firmly as I could, taking him by surprise.
“What?” he asked, frowning.
“I- It- It was a mistake, Adrian. A stupid, stupid mistake.” I tried to get ahold of myself, and hide the shakiness and excitement that still tingled throughout my entire body. “I apologise for acting so inappropriately,” I said in the smoothest voice I could muster.
“Emily-” Adrian began again, frowning angrily at me. I shook my head, cutting him off, before slowly making my way to the door of the bedroom.
“I need some air,” I mumbled, grabbing my phone on the way out of the room before making my way downstairs to the back porch that led to the beach.
The freezing air slashed against my face and bare legs like a sharp blade, and I wrapped my arms around my chest to protect myself from the harsh winds. I looked out into the dark ocean, replaying the events of 5 minutes ago, over and over again in my mind.
I had just kissed Adrian Kingston.
C
hapter Thirteen
I used to think the most awkward encounter I’d ever experience in my life was when I ran into my crush in senior year, looking like a fire truck had just run me over from the cold I had been sporting all day, and I sneezed – boogers and all – into his face. This was embarrassing enough except, by fate’s cruel intensions, things did not quite end there. I was paired up with him for biology class and he sat as far away as he could, often looking over at me like I was about to pass on the plague.
That moment, however, looked like a nicely decorated cupcake in my mind – in comparison to the newly formed awkward memory of sitting next to Adrian on the plane
all
the way back to New York, and during the drive to my apartment. My mind was still trying to process the fact that he had kissed me, and I enjoyed it. No, not only did I enjoy it;
I kissed back.
My boss. The guy I thought I had loathed due to his arrogance and sleazy way with women – and I had kissed him back.
Once I was in the safety of my bedroom, I finally exhaled the breath I must have been holding since we flew back into New York. I willed myself to relax, and looked at my plain purple bed sheets, absent-minded. Adrian had texted me once I was at my door and told me to take the rest of the day off. It was a brief text, with none of his usual wink faces stringing at the end of the sentence, and I exited the message before my mind could linger on it any longer.
I put my suitcase down near my wardrobe before deciding to have a shower, in an attempt to wash off the shakiness that my skin currently inhabited. I texted Amy and told her to come over as soon as she could, silently praying that she had taken the Monday off work like she usually did.
Once I finished getting dressed, I exited the bathroom and almost screamed when Amy jumped out in front of me, engulfing me into a bone-crushing hug. “Don’t ever leave me alone on a weekend ever again!” she exclaimed, pretending to sob into my shoulder before pulling away and giving me a toothy grin.
Once she saw my grim expression though, her smile instantly dropped and her eyes grew wide with concern. “What’s wrong?” she asked, studying my expression thoroughly.
“I…” I trailed off, not quite knowing what to say. I thought about how Amy would react once I informed her about the kiss. “Let’s sit down first,” I suggested, giving her a weak smile.
She grabbed my wrist before I could finish my sentence, and pulled me to my living room with a force I didn’t even know she had in her, before throwing me onto the sofa and glaring. “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!” she asked with frantic eyes. I opened my mouth to tell her but she cut me off. “What did he do? I swear to God, Emily, if he hurt you in any way, I will throw his body into a wall. I don’t care how hot he is.” Her nose flared in premature anger, but her expression softened – very slightly – at the sight of my amused expression.
“Thank you Amy,” I told her, “your threat is… comforting.” It actually was. I missed her. Amy and I had never been separated longer than a day, so this was taking an emotional toll on the both of us.
“What happened?” she asked again, more calmly now, her concerned expression returning. I sighed and looked down at my lap while biting my bottom lip.
The lip he kissed…
“I… Adrian and I kissed,” I finally managed to get out. Saying it out loud finally made the words seep into the realisation part of my brain, and I let out a shaky sigh.
Amy, on the other hand, didn’t need long to process my confession. “WHAT?!” she screeched, falling off the sofa in shock. The corners of my lip tugged up slightly in an amused smile as she stumbled off the ground and took her original position across me on the comfy sofa. “You- You- Are you messing with me, Emily Hannah Johnson?” Amy asked, giving me a suspicious look.
I shook my head, suddenly feeling a lot less nervous at the news due to Amy’s amusing reaction. “He kissed me, and I… I kissed him back.” I frowned as I recalled the kiss, biting my bottom lip again.
“Oh my god,” Amy murmured, looking away from me with a disbelieving look. I mentally counted down from 3 in my head, before she jumped off the sofa with a squeal that had enough pitch to crack glass. “YOU KISSED! OH MY GOD! YOU AND MR. SEXY PANTS KISSED!” she screamed, jumping around my living room in excitement.
This time, my face wore the look of disbelief. “Amy! This isn’t something to be celebrating!” I exclaimed, blushing slightly. She stopped jumping around and smirked in my direction, waggling her eyebrows.
“Am I missing something?” she asked excitedly, making my blush instantly begin to fade. “Did he get the chance to see the sexy lingerie I packed?”
“Funny you bring that up…” I trailed off, slowly rising from the sofa with a glare. Amy’s face paled and she began to back away from me. “I’M SORRY!” she squeaked once her back collided with my wall.
“Do you know how humiliating that was?!” I exclaimed, blushing as a flashback of Adrian’s expression once he saw the lace undergarments on my body appeared in my mind, and I shook it out of my head before snapping my glare back on Amy’s fearful expression. “And you didn’t pack a single pair of pajamas! And don’t even get me started on the fact you didn’t pack my swim shorts! I’m never letting you pack my bag for a trip ever again!” I exclaimed, giving her an incredulous look.
To my surprise, she began to laugh. I took a step back in astonishment, as she continuously heaved a fresh breath of air, before erupting with laughter once again. I huffed angrily and went to sit back down on the sofa, waiting for her laughing fit to die down. Once she stopped, she came and sat back down with me, still stifling a few giggles.
“I’m glad I’m a source of amusement,” I grumbled, glaring at her.
“I just want to know one thing,” she began, still trying to stifle a laugh. My eyebrows rose as a signal for her to continue, and she broke out into an amused grin. “What was his reaction to the lace nighty that I packed?” she asked, bursting into a fit of giggles.
I glared at her again. “I didn’t wear it!” I snapped, blushing furiously.
Her laughing stopped instantly. “What? Why not?! You’re such a party pooper!” She whined, pouting.
My eyes grew wide in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? Amy! He’s my boss! Not my husband who’s taking me on a romantic weekend where we’d spend most of our time in the bedroom!” I snapped, blushing. My mind went back to the couple we had met – and guiltily lied to – on the beach, and I wondered if that’s what they spent their time doing.
“Ugh! You need to loosen up more,” Amy grumbled, making me glare in her direction again.
“He’s my
boss,
Amy,” I argued.
“So? You guys have slept in the same bed,” she pointed out. “He’s practically seen you naked, and now you guys have kissed!”
The kiss pushed me off the edge. “I’m not another one of those whores who parade into his office every day!” I exclaimed angrily. “The kiss was a mistake.” I sighed. “It’s so awkward between us now, Ames. What do I do at work tomorrow? Do I act normal? Who has to break the silence, him or me? Oh my god, why did he have to kiss me.” I groaned, pushing my face into the soft pillow that was in my grasp.
When I pulled my face away from the soft cushion, I found Amy chewing her lip in thought. “Okay, listen up,” she snapped suddenly. “We’re going to put you in the sexiest business outfit you have. Act like your usual self. You don’t want to show him that the kiss affected you in any way. Say good morning, and ask him if he wants you to do anything. Keep it strictly professional, if he wants to talk, he’ll talk. Got it?” Amy asked, giving me a stern look.
I nodded, becoming amused at her sudden professionalism towards Adrian – but it didn’t last long.
“I’m sleeping over tonight,” she said decisively. “Now that that’s settled, I need every detail! From the time you got into the plane to go to California until the time you unlocked your apartment door!” She squealed excitedly, inching closer to me with an eager expression.
I shook my head and sighed at her excited personality, before launching into the story of the weekend.
***
“How was the sweet sunshine in Cali?” Allen asked, giving me an amused smirk as he mixed Adrian’s weird latté in the large cup.
I shrugged, not comfortable under his prying gaze as he looked over my body once again. “It was okay. Really hot.” I nodded awkwardly, giving him a tight smile.
“Allen! Stop checking the poor woman out, you perv!” Lisa snapped from beside him, whacking his head before proceeding with mixing my own latté.
Adrian chuckled and glanced back at me before turning around to his sister. “It’s not my fault she looks so hot today. Hotter than usual – I mean. I can’t quite put my finger on it...” He trailed off as his eyes scanned my body once again.
It’s the push up bra,
I mentally answered him,
and a shorter and tighter pencil skirt, not to mention the extra and very unnecessary makeup my best friend made me wear today.
“Allen, stop it,” Lisa said, frowning slightly at her older brother. “It’s rude, and you know what Adria-”
“OKAY EMILY! I think your order is ready. Here you go!” Allen said in a sudden cheerful tone as he shot a warning look in Lisa’s direction. His sister backed down immediately.
“Yep! Definitely done!” Lisa exclaimed, her voice coming off higher-pitched than usual. “Oh! Would you look at the time! You better be going! You’ll be late!”
I looked suspiciously at one sibling, then the other, as I handed over the money. “What’s going on that I don’t know about…?” I asked as they both handed me the coffee cups.
“What? Nothing!” Lisa squeaked, before her face began to transform into the colour of a tomato.
“It’s nothing,” Allen claimed, giving Lisa another warning look before turning a smile on for me. “So, if I recall correctly, you still owe me a dinner.” He changed the subject with a smirk, reminding me of someone.
“I don’t
owe
you anything,” I said wryly, offering him a small smile. “I’ll
think
about having lunch with you sometime.” I did not believe their earlier claims about nothing going on, but I had no time to dwell on it. I said my goodbyes and rapidly made my way over to Kingston Corp.
Once I stepped off the elevator, Suzie instantly greeted me with her motherly hug. “You look absolutely incredible!” she said. The warm smile on her face instantly brightened my mood. “How was the trip, honey?”
I smiled back at her as we began walking down to Adrian – and my – office. “Thank you. It was very nice,” I told her, “California has lovely weather.”
Her smile widened. “And Adrian’s beach house? I’ve never actually been there, but from the photo I once saw on his father’s desktop background, it looks incredible.”
I nodded. “It was very nice. Maybe we can manage to convince him to let you and Richard stay there for one weekend.” I winked, causing her to laugh and blush at my statement, before she pushed the office door open for me. I placed my cup on my desk before walking over to Adrian’s and placing his coffee on the polished marble surface.
“Is there anything important on today?” I asked as I dug into my bag and pulled out my notebook to jot down any crucial information. “Did I miss much from Saturday and yesterday?”
Suzie frowned in thought for a moment, the movement making her fragile skin wrinkle at the base of her eyebrows, before replying. “Yes, there’s a conference call this Friday with the head office of New Zealand again. They’ve put the ideas you brought up into the advertisement and need to confirm everything with Adrian.” She paused and waited for me to finish writing the sentence before continuing. “Also, Mr. Harrison said he agrees on the deal that Mr. Kingston offered, and Mr. Walter said his offer to accept still stands, as long as Mr. Kingston meets the requirements he laid out. I don’t understand the last one, but make sure Mr. Kingston is informed anyway.” She smiled, and I went rigid from David Walter’s name being mentioned.
“David Walter?” I asked in small voice, looking over at her in fear.