The Assistant(26)
Author: Elle Brace

“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.